Festina began her career in the Human Service field in 2008 while attending Westfield State University. She was first hired as an overnight worker for a company in Western Massachusetts. Upon graduation, she began working with the juvenile population and was promoted to Assistant Program Supervisor. While working with juveniles she found her passion working with individuals and at the beginning of her career, she was promoted to Program Manager of a facility that catered to 20-24 teenage girls.
Despite her passion for working with juveniles and creating avenues of change, Festina began working with adults with developmental disabilities and felt this was most rewarding. Festina has worked as a Program Manager for 9 years and brings a great deal of experience to the Division Director position.
Festina began with The Arc of Opportunity in September of 2017 as a Program Manager in the Worcester area, where she has made great progress and change. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Westfield State University, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership with a focus in behavioral health.
In her free time, Festina is a part of several community organizations and has served as President of the Liberian Association of Worcester County for 2 years, an organization that fosters change and promotes unity for over 2000 Liberians in the Worcester area. She also enjoys spending time with her fiancé and their 2-year-old son.