Our Executive Team

Keith Fairey joined Way Finders in July 2020.

Fairey most recently served as senior vice president at Enterprise Community Partners, a national nonprofit that brings together leaders in policy and investment to advance affordable housing development. In this national role—which drew upon his experience in community and organizational development, real estate finance, and strategic planning—he led 11 regional market teams.

Prior to joining Enterprise, Fairey was chief operating officer of the Mount Hope Housing Company in the Bronx, where he rebuilt the organization’s real estate development capacity. Fairey previously served as assistant director of Community Pride, a program of the Harlem Children’s Zone.

Fairey earned a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in public finance and financial management from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a Bachelor of Arts in history education from the University of Delaware.

John Bidwell, who joined Way Finders in 2023, has served in nonprofit leadership since 2012.  

Most recently, Bidwell served as Executive Director of United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region, which supports 44 nonprofits, where he led an expansion of services during the pandemic and led a merger of two regional United Ways. Before that, Bidwell was the director of marketing and digital strategy at Baystate Health and, for 12 years, consulted with nonprofits as the founder and president of the branding and marketing company, Bidwell ID.  

A graduate of McGill University and a Certified Fund Raising Executive, Bidwell has worked on numerous boards and committees for nonprofits and the City of Northampton. He is co-author and editor—respectively—of the critically acclaimed books From Holocaust to Hope and Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali.  

Laureen Borgatti joined Way Finders in 1993.

In serving as a connecting point between the functions of Way Finders’ lines of business and the organization’s strategic goals, Borgatti inspires a culture of respect and courtesy for all clients and employees. The strategic leadership she provides ensures that staff receive the support they need to help Way Finders achieve its mission.

Borgatti sits on the board of directors for the Housing Navigator, an initiative led by the Kuehn Charitable Foundation to develop an online search tool that gives people with low and moderate incomes the ability to quickly find available, affordable rental units anywhere in Massachusetts. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Human Service Forum, a membership organization that assists members in better addressing the needs of the people they serve throughout the Pioneer Valley.

Pascale Desir joined Way Finders in 2015 and serves as the principal advisor and chief counsel. By overseeing all aspects of Way Finders’ legal strategy—internal policies, procedures, program practices and outcomes—Desir ensures consistency with industry standards and local, state, and federal laws.  

Desir advises the Board and executive leadership on a range of issues, including corporate governance and fiduciary duties, ethics and compliance, strategic transactions, and risk management. She also helps the organization meet the diverse legal challenges presented by real estate and landlord-tenant law, poverty law, and program regulations. 

Previously, Desir served as the state plan manager for MaineCare Policy Division. She has also worked as a staff attorney in the housing division at Neighborhood Legal Services.

Derek Morris joined Way Finders in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Most recently, Morris served as CFO of Stavros, Inc., a leading regional provider of programs designed to facilitate independent living for persons with disabilities. Before that, Morris served as CFO at River Valley Counseling, an affiliate of Valley Health Systems, the $120-million organization that operates Holyoke Medical Center. Other prior roles include CFO at Behavioral Health Network, one of the largest mental health and recovery organizations in the region, and vice president of financial services at Goodwill Industries in Springfield.

Morris, who also brings 12 years of experience in the communications field, is a graduate of the University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Erica Simonette joined Way Finders in 2001.

With more than two decades of experience in human resources, Simonette assumed wider administrative responsibilities starting in 2024, including information technology, business intelligence, and facilities management.

To be successful in her work—which is crucial to Way Finders’ expanding operations and growing workforce —she has evolved into a versatile leader, adept at organizational strategy, systems integration, and fostering individual growth.

A champion of constant innovation, Simonette also promotes diversity and understanding as fundamental to cultivating a strong and compassionate workforce.

Janette Vigo, who joined Way Finders in 2012, helps lead our region in providing critically needed services to tens of thousands of families and individuals each year.  

Vigo leads and directs Way Finders’ Housing Center Division, which is comprised of Housing Support Services, Rental Assistance, and Housing Education Services. The programs offered help people to live with dignity and to be safe, and to have greater opportunities for social and economic well-being and good health. They include RAFT, HomeBASE, the Housing Choice Voucher Program, fair housing education, financial and first-time homebuyer education, workforce development programs, supportive housing for young parents and survivors of domestic violence, and emergency housing for families. 

Vigo, a recognized leader at the state and local levels, received the 2019 Robert J. Van Wart Award from the Human Service Forum. The motivation for her career in human services is “¡Sí se puede!” 

Anni Zhu, who joined Way Finders in 2021, is an urban planner and former educator who loves bringing people together to solve problems. She leads the organization’s policy and advocacy efforts, manages strategic projects, and provides organizational and staff management.

Previously, Zhu worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, starting as special assistant to the president and progressing to serve as chief of staff to the chairman and CEO. While setting priorities for the senior leadership team and managing the staff to meet goals, she also handled day-to-day operational issues. A major focus involved managing the agency’s operational response to COVID-19, while driving financial savings initiatives in response to pandemic-related revenue losses. She began her transportation career at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

A graduate of Cornell University and New York University, Zhu is a board member for the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts.