transforming passive diversity
into
active
inclusion
OUR BOARD
Meet the people behind the mission
Elinor Gefen-Rotstein
FOUNDER & Executive Director
Elinor holds a unique dual perspective on building both physical and social environments that bring people together.
With nearly two decades of experience as an architect in Israel and the US, her experience covers varying scales and fields, driven by a passion for creating meaningful, sustainable spaces that enhance people's lives.
Since 2018, she has served as the volunteer director of the World Language Program in Bedford, MA. Seeing the positive impact it has on her community, she decided to pivot from the built environment to found Community Language Project, with a mission of bringing people together and cultivating a vibrant, multicultural social fabric.
Anais Espinal
BOARD MEMBER
Anais brings over a decade of experience leading high-impact R&D teams and driving innovation at organizations like Tiffany & Co. and United Technologies. With a PhD in Materials Science and a proven track record in strategic project management, her expertise in scaling complex initiatives and fostering collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams is a tremendous asset to our team.
Beyond her professional achievements, Anais is an active advocate for CLP mission, having served as a Spanish volunteer instructor since 2024. Her unique perspective as a scientist, leader, and community member is instrumental as we expand our reach to schools across Massachusetts.
Sonia Leven
BOARD MEMBER
Sonia joins us with an incredible background as a Senior R&D Counsel at Takeda and nearly two decades of legal and contract management experience in the biotech and healthcare sectors. As we continue to scale our mission of building common bonds through language, Sonia’s strategic insight and professional expertise is an invaluable asset to CLP.
Beyond her professional achievements, Sonia has served as a board member at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a globally recognised non-profit organisation focused on environmental conservation and sustainable, socially just development.
Beyond languages:
Shaping inclusive & welcoming communities
OUR LANGUAGE ADVISORS
Nibha Jolly
Nibha is an educator and passionate advocate for multilingual learning with a deep connection to Hindi and Indian culture. Having grown up in India, Hindi has always been an integral part of her life. She has experience teaching elementary students in India and currently works with elementary students at Bedford Public Schools. Nibha has volunteered for Bedford’s community-led Language Program, introducing Hindi to young learners. Her experience with Shishu Bharati, a non-profit school for Indian languages, along with her role at the Bedford Public Library, reflects her strong commitment to community education. She looks forward to helping children build meaningful connections with Hindi.
HINDI ADVISOR
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Weichang Chen
Weichang is originally from Taiwan and holds a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University. Licensed to practice in Taiwan and the US, she brings extensive experience working with children in clinical and school settings. Weichang has taught Mandarin in weekend programs for several years, including Lexington Chinese School and Boston Tzu Chi Academy. She also volunteered for Bedford’s community-led Language Program, sharing her love of Mandarin with local students. She excels at creating engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences through songs, games, and interactive activities to help children discover the joy of Mandarin and foster a lifelong connection to the language.
MANDARIN ADVISOR
Solin Kherlopian
Solin is a Nurse with a strong interest in Armenian language education and preservation. She come from a Syrian-Armenian background and growing up in a Syrian-Armenian family, her heritage and language have always played a central role in her identity. Solin has volunteered for Bedford’s community-led Language Program, sharing the Armenian language with young community members through interactive learning. She specializes in creating hands-on activities, games, and age-appropriate materials that make learning feel natural, engaging, and fun. Solin is dedicated to keeping the Armenian language vibrant for future generations and helping children build lasting, meaningful connections to their roots.
ARMENIAN ADVISOR
Mayra Souza
Mayra Souza is a Communications professional with a versatile international career background. Born and raised in Brazil, she earned her degree in Journalism before moving to the United States, where she completed a Master’s degree in Corporate & Organizational Communications at Northeastern University in Boston. She brings experience across multicultural communication, content development, public relations, and community engagement in the nonprofit, higher education, and corporate sectors. Mayra has hosted a TV program on Telemundo for the Portuguese-speaking community in New England and has volunteered with Bedford's community-led Language Program for two consecutive years, sharing her love for Portuguese with students and her belief that culture and language should be accessible to all.
Portuguese ADVISOR
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What I loved most was the chance to bring our culture into the classroom - our stories, traditions, songs, and games that connect language with identity.
TATYANA PAVLOVA
Ying Mu
Ying Mu grew up in China and earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Northeastern University before embarking on an R&D career in the medical device industry. She and her family have called Bedford home for the past five years. As a first-generation immigrant and parent, Ying is passionate about helping children embrace multicultural identities as a source of strength, curiosity, and connection. Inspired by Bedford's Language Program’s mission to foster cultural awareness and global perspectives from an early age, she began volunteering with the program when her older son entered Bedford Public Schools. She brings creativity and thoughtful engagement to the classroom, making language and culture accessible and fun. As an Advisory Member, Ying hopes to help cultivate curiosity, cultural appreciation, and global citizenship among young learners.
MANDARIN ADVISOR
Elinor Gefen-Rotstein
HEBREW ADVISOR
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Tatyana Pavlova
RUSSIAN ADVISOR
Anais Espinal
SPANISH ADVISOR
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As an immigrant from Israel, I understand the profound impact cultural connection and belonging have on individuals and communities.
What began as a simple Hebrew language class in 2018 evolved into something much more meaningful - a bridge between cultures, a celebration of diversity, and a foundation for understanding and respect.
ELINOR GEFEN-ROTSTEIN
"
As an immigrant from Venezuela and with my husband from Italy, having a multicultural background is extremely important to our family. We speak three languages at home, and the program has been instrumental in showing our 8-year-old son that knowing another language isn't something to hide - it's an actual superpower!
ANAIS ESPINAL
