Leadership
Erika Chavarria
Executive Director
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Erika Chavarria taught high school Spanish in Howard County for twelve years and served as a Director for the National Education Association for five years. Erika is a Board Member of numerous racial justice organizations and presents across the country on racial justice in education. Erika is the founder and Executive Director of Columbia Community Care, an nonprofit that initially provided thousands of people in her community with food and essential resources during the pandemic. She is the recipient of the 2020 Howard County Human Rights Commission Human Rights Award, and was selected as one of the Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch 2020.
Preferred pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Meg Feroli
Director of Operations
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Meg Feroli is a 32 year resident of Columbia with her husband and two sons. In that time, she has worked as a substitute teacher for the HCPSS, focusing primarily on teaching at Oakland Mills Middle and High Schools. She has been active in the community, serving as president of Dasher Green Nursery school, PTA president at Jeffers Hill Elementary and Oakland Mills Middle School. Meg has had past career experience in event planning, alumni relations, human resources, journalism and marketing. Meg is so grateful to be part of CCC since the beginning and is proud of the significant role it has played in meeting the needs of Columbia’s residents.
Preferred pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Claude Moutome
General Site Coordinator
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Claude was born in Cameroon precisely on the French side. Claude has been living in the United States for nine years and during that time earned two college degrees (Engineering and Mathematics). While studying for his Masters in Education, he was part of a black leadership program at Howard Community College called Howard Pride with the mission of elevating and supporting the minority student in Mathematics. After getting his Masters degree at UMBC, Claude is currently a middle school mathematics teacher in Baltimore City. He became a daily volunteer for Columbia Community Cares upon its inception because he sought to help others in the community in which he lived. Claude most enjoys the limitless opportunities volunteering affords him to have a positive impact on the lives of others with a kind word, bright smile, and a helping hand. Soccer is his favorite sport and he played for the Howard Community College men’s team .
Preferred pronouns: He/Him/His
April Lee
Delivery Pantry Manager
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April is a professional personal chef and also a certified, licensed medical massage therapist. In her previous career, she spent 28 years as a conference/meeting planner and business manager for two national trade associations in the television broadcast industry. April also loves many genres of music, plays piano, and sings with a local jazz sextet. She’s thankful to be able to bring all her various experiences to CCC to help manage the pantry and exciting future programs for the CCC Peace and Justice Center!!
Preferred pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Gabriel Zaldivar
General Site Coordinator
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Gabriel is currently a junior at the University of Maryland College Park campus working on his Bachelors Secondary Education Social Studies degree. In his previous career, he dedicated 20 years of faithful service to the United States Navy and earned the rank as Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic. Gabriel was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is the son of Cuban immigrants. Gabriel loves his wife Becca and his two step-children Alyssa and Joshua. In his spare time, he loves getting destroyed at pickleball, chess, and escape rooms.
Preferred pronouns: He/Him/His
Kate Kirk
Wilde Lake Site Coordinator
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Katie has been a Columbia resident for the past 9 years and loves living here and the strong sense of community it provides. She is a Mom to an amazing 3 year old and an Aunt to 3 other little ones. Katie is grateful to have a supportive husband who goes along with all her passions which include native plants, removing invasives, and volunteering with CCC. She is also a social worker in the behavioral health field and passionate about ending homelessness. Katie got involved with CCC during winter 2020 and is excited for CCC’s future peace & justice center. Fun fact: Katie has an identical twin sister, who is now a Mom to identical twins!
Preferred pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Rachel Dhanraj
Site Coordinator
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Rachel Dhanraj is a dedicated mom and wife who balances her family life with a successful career as a project manager. She is an Indian American with a master’s in business administration (MBA). She has a knack for organization and a passion for teamwork, excelling in leading projects to completion. Outside of work, Rachel is an avid volunteer, always eager to give back to her community. Since the start of 2022, she has been volunteering with CCC, coordinating events at the Grace Community Church and supporting charitable causes. She finds joy in making a positive impact. Her ability to juggle multiple roles with grace and enthusiasm is truly inspiring. Rachel’s commitment to her family, career, and community makes her remarkable.
Vivian Chin
Site Coordinator
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Vivian has lived in Columbia for the past 37 years and raised 4 children who attended public schools in Columbia. By day, she works as an Industrial Engineer but in her spare time, she volunteers regularly with Columbia Community Care, Meals on Wheels, The Maryland Food Bank, and other local organizations. She is currently working on a certification to be a Community Ambassador with the Howard County Office of Aging so she can be a resource for those in need of various services available within the county.