Our Board of Directors

Lisa Battiston (she/her) is a Boston-based writer and communications veteran with a passion for the written word. Dedicating her professional career to public service, Battiston has served as Deputy Press Secretary at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for eight years with a strong commitment to best serving the riding public through transparent communications in media responses and promoting Agency initiatives. Previous to her work with press and the media, Battiston managed the MBTA’s social media presence for five years as the first Public Information Officer, leading an effort to proactively engage with the public through friendly, informative, and creative postings. Lisa’s previous written work has also been published in a number of mediums, including Boston Hassle, Allston Pudding, and others. Lisa completed her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) at Emerson College and Bachelor of Arts at Butler University in English (Creative Writing).

Lisa is an avid reader, a first-time beekeeper, a fan of punk music, and a passable bass player. She is also very excited to be part of the Writers Inc. team and promote its critical mission of creative expression for children and families coping with tremendous circumstances.

Julie Markiarian (she/her) is a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) with a B.A. in English Language and Literature, and a M.S. in Child Life and Family-Centered Care. She has worked as a CCLS in various inpatient and outpatient settings throughout Boston, and currently works for a non-profit organization north of Boston. She is passionate about helping kids be kids, and making sure that everyone she is able to support through her work can feel seen, heard, and celebrated for who they are.

In her free time, Julie loves reading, baking, flipping furniture, going on outdoor adventures with her husband and loved ones, and spoiling her cat Butters.

Max Svec (he/him) is an accomplished nonprofit professional with well over a decade of experience in the pediatric healthcare space. Throughout his career, he has been let into the stories of countless patients and families, often during their most vulnerable moments—something he considers the privilege of a lifetime. He holds a B.A. in Film, Video, and Interactive Media and is well-versed in program development and management, event operations, community building and engagement, and marketing and communications. He is the Manager of Strategic Programs & Events at One Summit, a nonprofit based north of Boston. Max loves working with purpose and is on a mission to leave the world better than he found it.

In his free time, he enjoys hiking and camping, exploring our National Parks with his wife, and sharing laughter over joyful meals and game nights with family and friends.

Writers Inc. is thrilled to welcome Sally back to the board of directors! She was instrumental in helping us to develop Writers Inc. in its earliest years, and previously volunteered with the program to support patient-created writing projects.

Sally Gibney (she/her) has spent her career focused on improving the lives of young children facing adversity. For the last 15 years, she has worked at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and is currently a Senior Project Manager there. Her projects at the Center have been many and varied, but highlights include leading a community of practice on playful learning with luminaries from around the world, and being the first host of their podcast, The Brain Architects. She also managed their work with the LEGO Foundation. Sally has a BA in psychology with a neuroscience focus from Boston University, and a Master’s in Child Development from Tufts University.

 Sally loves reading books and then watching the movie adaptations, ideally with her best friend. She’s an avid music lover, and is also always up for trying a new coffee shop. But her current favorite activities involve gallivanting around Saratoga Springs, NY, where she lives with her partner, Charley, and their two small children, James and Iris.

Our Board of Advisors

Butters is the very best rescue cat who was adopted by his humans in 2020. He enjoys eating, asking for food, pretending he hasn’t eaten in years, playing fetch, and showing off his little face smudge. He also enjoys snuggling his humans, Julie & Max.

Nico Battiston-Kleinfeldt spends most of her day as a fuzzy calico cat snoozing in warm patches of sunlight, awaiting the evening where she moonlights as a raucous goblin, leaving curious clues of her nighttime adventures (suspiciously open windows, door chain locks undone, rodent carcasses) for her people to discover when they awake each morning. Nico shares both her name and striking lyrical singing style with a notable German musician of the same moniker. She is a serious cat with a serious life who also possesses very adorable strawberry-chocolate jellybean toes. Likes: the water from a can of tuna, butt scratches, a warm radiator. Dislikes: her carrier, being held for too long (all time being held is too long), tyranny. She currently hopes to be considered for an honorary doctorate in litter-ature.

Charlie’s online dating profile says it all: he’s unemployed, still lives with his parents, and is terrified of shiny pinwheels. He is especially fond of manchego cheese, listening to Big Star, scrambling around Acadia National Park, and sunset-watching at the local pond. He adores children, particularly his niece and nephew.

Charlie is well-traveled and always appreciates a good road trip, but he’s not too keen on poodles. Much like Don Quixote tilting at windmills, Charlie enjoys picking fairly one-sided fights with watering cans.

Dexter (“Dex”) Gibney doubles as a certified medical alert dog, and the goofiest member of the (decidedly goofy) Gibney family.

Originally from Madison, WI, Dex was hand-picked from a shelter for his smarts and sweet temperament to be a diabetic-alert dog. He helps his human, Sally, manage her Type 1 diabetes by nudging her insistently when he smells her blood sugar dropping or rising. Aside from being a very good and helpful boy, Dex’s favorite things are rolling around in the snow and cuddling up on the couch. And while he is entirely trustworthy with children and other animals, he is never trustworthy with peanut butter toast.