Alliance Staff
Kori Alston
Kori Alston is the Senior Manager of Implementation for the Alliance.
Prior to this role, Kori held the position of Principal at Veritas Prep High School, a wall-to-wall early college high school in Springfield, MA. In this capacity, he oversaw the development, growth, and implementation of all early college programming, ensuring that every student had the chance to graduate with at least 12 college credits and authentic career learning experiences.
Kori began his career as a 7th grade English and science teacher in Brooklyn, before moving into a role on the talent and recruitment team at Uncommon Schools where he developed his passion for strategic partnerships and operations. Kori holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Northwestern University and a Master of Education in Leadership and Administration from Concordia University.
Marissa Cole
Marissa is the first Director of Policy and Practice for the Alliance.
Prior to this role, Marissa served as the Managing Director for the CERES Institute for Children & Youth and the Center for Promise at Boston University/America’s Promise Alliance. Both entities were focused on supporting policy change and informing practice through high-quality, rigorous research and national strategic initiatives that centered the voices and experiences of children and youth.
Prior to that, Marissa served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education, supporting the interagency and legislative priorities of the secretariat. Before rejoining state government, Marissa spent two years as the Assistant Director for the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. Marissa began her career as the Legislative and Budget Director for Massachusetts State Senator Edward M. Augustus, Jr. Marissa has an EdM in Education Policy & Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA in Child Development from Tufts University. She is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Chessye Moseley
Chessye is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College.
For the last four years, Chessye has played a role in shaping and leading every facet of the Alliance’s work: policy, program, student engagement, and innovation. She has partnered with leaders across Massachusetts as well as allies nationally and is known as a leader in the college success space. Prior to the Alliance, Chessye built context and expertise through her work on the Early College team at Empower Schools. In this capacity, she supported burgeoning coalition efforts, helped lead key policy and advocacy efforts related to Early College, and provided technical assistance to a group of Early College programs. Prior to her work with Early College, Chessye held roles at Teach For America both on national and regional teams, including recruitment, operations, and development. Chessye proudly began her career as a middle school reading teacher in Colorado, where her passion for excellent and equitable education systems was solidified through her work with students and families. Chessye holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Leslie Peralta
Leslie is the Senior Manager of Engagement for the Alliance.
Before joining the Alliance, Leslie served as the Early College Program Manager for the Lawrence Public Schools (LPS). In this role, her work centered on implementing, expanding, and enhancing the Early College Program, leading a dedicated team of Early College staff, and promoting student and family engagement. Leslie began her career at LPS as a Building Based Educator and then became a Program Coordinator for the GEAR UP Massachusetts Program. As a GEAR UP Coordinator, her focus was on college and financial aid advising, where she strengthened her commitment and passion for student access to post-secondary education. Leslie brings 10 years of experience in education to the Alliance. Leslie received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration on Women’s and Gender Studies from the College of the Holy Cross.
Early College Policy Fellowship Leaders
Yaslee Dube
Yaslee is a co-leader for the Alliance’s Early College Policy Fellowship program.
Yaslee Dube is an upcoming senior at Bridgewater State University, double majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Psychology. Yaslee graduated from Haverhill High School, class of 2023 where she participated in the Early College program earning 22 transferable college credits. The positive impact Early College had on her educational career is what led her to become a 2023-24 Early College Policy Fellow for the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. During her time as a Fellow, Yaslee learned the importance of advocacy work within our communities and has continued to participate in programs such as Alternative Break and Sharing the Harvest.
Yaslee hopes to continue her journey as an advocate in the Speech Language Pathology Field.
Sebastian Rivera
Sebastian is a co-leader for the Alliance’s Early College Policy Fellowship program.
Sebastian is a former Early College Policy Fellow from the 2024-2025 Fellowship cohort, during which he developed his passion for educational equity by advocating for the expansion of Early College in his community and Massachusetts. As an Early College alumnus, he earned 23 credits through the Early College Lowell program, which partnered with Middlesex Community College. He attests to how Early College makes attaining a college degree a reality by instilling confidence and alleviating financial and academic planning burdens for students and families.
Sebastian studies at UMass Lowell, majoring in Sociology with a concentration in Policy and Social Problems, and minoring in English and Education. He maintains close ties with the Lowell community by working with school-age children in non-profit organizations and local elementary classrooms. He is an aspiring educator, looking to be the representation that will help close opportunity gaps for students.
Alliance Board of Directors
State Street Foundation
Latinos for Education
Massachusetts Alliance for Early College
The Richard and Susan Smith Foundation
MassHire North Shore Workforce Board
OneGoal
uAspire