Board of Directors, Advisors, and Partners

Thank you to our amazing Board Of Directors, Advisors and partners to Dharma Dreams Vocational Center!  As with many organizations, this group is tasked with being the ambassadors of our program.  They make it a priority to promote our mission and speak of this amazing special education program whenever they can.  They support us through their words, through their philanthropy, their connections, their knowledge and their passion.  Their work is invaluable and necessary.  And for that, we thank them all!  To our Partners, we also express thanks for your commitment to hiring our students, your advocacy and your donations!!  We appreciate you all!

Joanne Burke-Sherman, President

Joanne, MBA, CHC, AADP, is the founder of Dharma Dreams Vocational Center. She is a mom of a son with learning challenges and an entrepreneur.  She has experience as a Computer Systems Development Director; but it was  being an advocate for her son, who needed her help, that changed her path.  With a background in mathematics and an MBA in finance and marketing, analysis came more naturally to Joanne; but compassion for others and finding solutions to various needs is what really drives her.  This advocacy drove her to start a business in holistic health and eventually create Dharma Dreams Vocational Center.  


In her free time, she enjoys involvement in Rotary of Braintree, Keystone BNI, going to Celtics games, travel, friends, family, exercise, health and nutrition; and generally likes to be a positive force in the world.

Debra Clark, Secretary 

Debbie brings over 20 years experience in human resources and talent acquisition strategies. Throughout her career she has been an  advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion. She has a strong aptitude for engagement with people at all levels and a passion for helping others reach their full potential. Most recently, she spent several years as a volunteer case reviewer for DCFS.


Debbie is currently employed by a global sustainability and renewable energy company that assists businesses in reaching their net zero carbon goals. She and her husband currently reside on the South Shore. In her free time she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends. 

Kim Lourenco, Board Member

Kim Lourenco is the Transition Coordinator for Braintree Public Schools. She has a Masters in special education and has over 20 years experience in the Braintree Public Schools working with young adults and their families. Kim specializes in transition services and works with students, families, faculty and administration to provide comprehensive services to help students with employment, training, and independent living skills.


Kim is also a proud parent of a child with ASD. Her professional and personal experiences working with children with unique abilities has created a passion for finding opportunities to help them find their own success.

Debra Coulter, Board Member

Debra Coulter is the Vice President of Information Services for Special Olympics Massachusetts overseeing an innovation project to help grow the mission of the organization to better serve the community.


She brings over 20 years experience in the for profit, consulting and non profit industries to the board to help assist in many aspects of helping to launch the organization. She started out in the accounting and finance industry and made the switch to data systems early in her career. 


She holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and many certifications in non profit software.  Her passion for non profit led her to a pro bono consulting role for a volunteer firm serving the non profit community in projects focused on strategy, fundraising, software and data analysis.


When not busy with data and systems, Deb loves to cook for her family and friends, enjoys wine tastings and traveling. She lives on the south shore coast with her husband, daughters and new pup!

Alexander Jay Nelson,  Board Member

Alexander Jay Nelson grew up on the autistic spectrum, eventually receiving a diagnosis of Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD or NVLD) at the age of 15.  In 2010 he graduated from Keene State College in New Hampshire with honors and a degree in Film a production with minors in Psychology and Sociology.  It is a lifetime priority of his to keep up with autism and psychology research trends and mental health advocacy.  He now lives in Lowell Massachusetts, working in the Set Lighting Department of movies in the Greater Boston Area.  

Dawn La Lama, Advisor

Dawn La Lama is a Training and Development Specialist with over a decade of successful experience as an Educational Consultant. Dawn has a Masters in Education and specializes in training and curriculum development.


Wanting an alternative to the lackluster public school model for her children, Dawn founded Montessori Middle School, and served as Directress overseeing the day to day operations of its programming.


She served as an expert consultant in the writing of the Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Curriculum Frameworks. Dawn is passionate about education. When developing and teaching for meaningful inclusion she draws from effective Montessori and inclusive pedagogy.  Today, she actively consults, continues working as a training and development specialist, is active in her family run business, is Green Belt Certified and provides coaching on Lean processes for organization quality improvement initiatives.

John DiCicco, Advisor

From 1999 to 2021, Dr. DiCicco taught in the Business Department at Curry College in Milton, MA. He taught several business and business-related courses with a specialization in leadership.


Since 2015, Professor DiCicco has been an affiliate faculty member at Wentworth Institute of Technology, specializing in communication and leadership and strategic management courses.

Dr. DiCicco has been the Campus College Chair of Graduate Business Management Programs at the University of Phoenix, Massachusetts Campuses from 2007 – 2014.  Between 2014- 2016 he taught Micro and Macro Economics at Dean College in Franklin, MA.


From 1991 to the present, Dr. DiCicco has served as the president of Organizational Analysis. Systems.johnoasi@comcast.net is a management consulting group located in Brockton, MA. Specializing in organizational and leadership consulting and training upper and middle-level managers to be more responsible leaders in their respective fields. 


DiCicco has authored and coauthored “Leadership is a Choice” and “The Leadership Gene.” And the recently published “The Authentic Leader,” spring 2022.  Leadership podcasts and newsletters can be found on the website theauthenticleadercd.com. DiCicco earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Professional Development at Capella University in Minneapolis, M.N. in 2001. He has been happily married to his wife of 42 years, Gale, and has an adult son Eric. All reside in Brockton, MA.

Juan Gomez, Partner

My name is Juan Gomez. I was born in Chile. I came to the United States 28 years ago. In the United States, I am like each one of you with goals and dreams. I have a small family with two children. My son, Gregory, is a 20-year-old who is studying at the university; and I have a 4-year-old girl named Priscilla (2023).  As the owner of JG Painting, we are dedicated to painting maintenance. We take care of every detail and we use high quality material to meet the needs of our clients. We carry out maintenance from the smallest to the largest houses, apartments, garages, and more. We handle both exterior and interior painting.  For us, it is always a pleasure to work as a team and provide the most professional experience for our clients.