Nayroby Rosa

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke Community Development Corp. (OneHolyoke CDC) announced the promotion of Nayroby Rosa to chief operating officer, effective retroactively to March 9. Executive Director Michael Moriarty and the OneHolyoke board made the announcement.

Rosa, who has been at OneHolyoke since 2019, previously served as director of Community Engagement and Resident Services. In that position, she played a critical role in advancing initiatives focused on affordable housing, neighborhood leadership, youth and family support, and community-centered development throughout Holyoke.

A longtime community leader and advocate, Rosa brings more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, community engagement, and organizational development. In her new role as COO, she will oversee daily operations, strategic implementation, and organizational systems, strengthening internal capacity while continuing to deepen community partnerships. Her promotion reflects OneHolyoke CDC’s commitment to developing strong internal leadership and investing in leaders who are deeply rooted in the community.

“I have had the pleasure of working alongside Nayroby and watched her growth at OneHolyoke,” Moriarty said. “At her core, she is committed to the betterment of the community we serve and has the passion, compassion, and smarts to do the job as chief operating officer.”

Ivie Cordero, chair of the OneHolyoke board of directors, added that “Nayroby’s leadership, vision, and deep connection to the community make her uniquely positioned to take on this role. Her ability to build relationships, lead with intention, and center community voice has already had a significant impact on our work, and we are excited for what lies ahead.”

Rosa has long been recognized for her leadership across Holyoke’s civic and nonprofit sectors, serving on numerous boards and advisory committees and working to strengthen partnerships between residents, institutions, and local government. Her leadership approach emphasizes transparency, collaboration, and community voice as key drivers of sustainable change.

“I am honored to step into this position of COO and continue working alongside our staff, residents, and partners to advance OneHolyoke’s mission,” Rosa said. “This opportunity allows me to build on the organization’s strong foundation while continuing to prioritize community-led development and long-term neighborhood stability.”

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke Community Development Corp. received a Massachusetts COVID-19 Community Grant to provide education to Holyoke residents in order to prevent and reduce the continuing spread and rise of COVID-19.

Communities of color in Massachusetts are among the hardest-hit by COVID-19 in terms of infection, illness, and death. The goal of COVID-19 Community Grants is to reduce COVID-19 infections, morbidity, and mortality among black, Latinx, and other people of color in the hardest-hit cities in the Commonwealth. The grant has been awarded to OneHolyoke CDC to engage the Holyoke community by developing and delivering effective messages, and further support to the hard-hit community with education, training, and outreach to effectively meet Holyoke’s specific needs.

The public information campaign will be concentrated on predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods to address the disproportionate spread of the virus among communities of color.

Educational topics will cover physical distancing, mask wearing, hygiene, and other harm-reduction behaviors and activities, and will be shared widely in both English and Spanish through OneHolyoke CDC’s social-media accounts. Posts will also feature members of the Holyoke community.

The organization will also engage media to widely disseminate information, with information tables available at community outlets in the Latinx-majority neighborhoods of Holyoke. A designated page on OneHolyoke CDC’s website, oneholyoke.org, will provide a collection of resources, blogs, and videos for the community.

Juan Flores, a Latino Holyoke resident, will coordinate social-media and related placements and engagements to educate the community about COVID-19 education and safety. Flores recently earned an associate degree in computer support from Holyoke Community College.

Holyoke is consistently listed as high-risk for COVID-19, according to the state’s COVID-19 map, updated weekly. Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinos are hospitalized from COVID-19 at four times the rate of white Americans.