OUR TEAM
Co-Founders and Executive Directors
Tom Pugh (he/him)
Tom Pugh, co-founder of Plugged In, attended Berklee College of Music and has been a professional musician for 40 years.
Tom has performed with numerous bands, including Frankie Lee,the Doowopp Hall of Fame Rock and Roll All Stars, Southern Revelation, SloBurn and Lois Lane and the Daily Planets. He has played at Boston’s Symphony Hall and the Montreal Jazz Festival as well as many other prestigious venues.
Tom has also been an audio and video engineer at WGBH in Boston for 30 years.
Sandra Rizkallah (she/her)
Sandra Rizkallah, co-founder and co-executive director of Plugged In, has a degree in film and television from Emerson College.
Sandra has produced her own documentaries and has worked in the post-production department of NOVA at WGBH.
Program Director
Dan Croft (he/him)
Dan Croft originally joined Plugged In as Administrative Assistant back in 2011. His role was to help our staff keep every aspect of the organization running smoothly. After one year he became such an important part of the program administration he was given the role of Program Director.
Dan previously served in administrative and management roles at More than Words and the Asperger’s Association of New England.
Dan’s interest in organizations that serve and inspire youth began when he was a camper and later a Counselor-in-Training at Paul Newman’s Hole In The Wall Gang Camp.
Dan lives in Waltham, MA, where he spends most of his free time baking and taking care of his kitty, Toby.
Dan loves his label maker and is known for saying “rock on!” all the time.
Meg McCarney (she/her)
A 2022 graduate of Lesley University, Meg McCarney has a degree in Creative Writing and Communication and believes in the power of the written word for healing.
She found the intersection of her desire to give back and her love of writing and music in journalism, having been a Staff Writer for many publications in the Boston area including DigBoston, Boston Hassle, Penny Magazine, and Sound of Boston.
Now, she enjoys using her role at Plugged In to emphasize the life-changing impact music education can have on our students and community.
Meg lives on the South Shore and spends most of her free time snuggling with her hedgehog, Monty. She also loves writing poetry, going to concerts whenever possible, and organizing anything she can get her hands on.
Volunteer Experience Coordinator
Cassidy Donahue
Cassidy Donahue is a multi-instrumental musician from Nashua, NH. She graduated from Lesley University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Expressive Arts Therapy – a field which uses the arts as a tool for healing in counseling/therapy.
She has always known how powerful and therapeutic music can be for people of all ages, and particularly those with learning differences and special needs, and that’s why she chose that field of study. She wants to bring that power to anyone and everyone she can.
Program and Volunteer Outreach Coordinator
Sponsors
Diamond
Platinum+
Gold
Dedham Savings Bank
Music Go Round
Olin College
Tocci Management
Village Bank
Silver
Charles River Center
Howard and Katherine Aibel Foundation
Roche Brothers
Condon Realty
Volante Farm