About Us
Set your sights on the best indie comic festivals in Massachusetts, and RSVP for special advance notifications.
Our Successes
Supported
17
annual comics festivals since 2010
Provided over
200
free arts programs
Attracted over 33,000 attendees
Hosted over 2,100
artists and writers
Awarded over 125
mini-grants for new work
Who we are
This is your Team section. Briefly introduce the team then add their bios below. Click here to edit.
Executive Director
Shelli Paroline
Shelli Paroline is a founding member of the Boston Comic Arts Foundation and served as Co-Director of the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) for 13 years. Also a cartoonist, she and her husband Braden Lamb form an Eisner award-winning comic art team collaborating on the Adventure Time comics, Midas, and Making Scents. Her favorite graphic novel is Paul Joins the Scouts by Michel Rabagliati.
Development Director
S.Matt Read
S.Matt Read has been the Boston Comic Arts Foundation's fundraising arm since 2020. A longtime volunteer for Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE), he holds an MA in Children's Literature and loves reading and thinking about comics and graphic novels. His favorite comic is Borb by Jason Little.
Outreach Director
Gina Gagliano
Gina Gagliano joined the Boston Comic Arts Foundation in 2023. Her career in books began in bookselling, then transitioned to publishing, followed by festivals and nonprofits. Her favorite graphic novel is Sara Varon's Robot Dreams.
Program Director
Jason Viola
Jason Viola is a founding member of the Boston Comic Arts Foundation and for several years was the project manager for Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE). He writes educational graphic novels and has been drawing stories since he was a kid. His favorite comic is The Lagoon by Lilli Carré.
Outreach Coordinator
Joy Gabriel Reid
Gina Gagliano joined the Boston Comic Arts Foundation in 2023. Her career in books began in bookselling, then transitioned to publishing, followed by festivals and nonprofits. Her favorite graphic novel is Sara Varon's Robot Dreams.
Mass Makes Comics Coordinator
Deanna Soukiasian
Gina Gagliano joined the Boston Comic Arts Foundation in 2023. Her career in books began in bookselling, then transitioned to publishing, followed by festivals and nonprofits. Her favorite graphic novel is Sara Varon's Robot Dreams.
Street Team Coordinator
Gamal Smith
Gina Gagliano joined the Boston Comic Arts Foundation in 2023. Her career in books began in bookselling, then transitioned to publishing, followed by festivals and nonprofits. Her favorite graphic novel is Sara Varon's Robot Dreams.
Comics Advocacy Coordinator
Cassandra Jones
Gina Gagliano joined the Boston Comic Arts Foundation in 2023. Her career in books began in bookselling, then transitioned to publishing, followed by festivals and nonprofits. Her favorite graphic novel is Sara Varon's Robot Dreams.
Comics Advocacy Coordinator
Max Foster
Gina Gagliano joined the Boston Comic Arts Foundation in 2023. Her career in books began in bookselling, then transitioned to publishing, followed by festivals and nonprofits. Her favorite graphic novel is Sara Varon's Robot Dreams.
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Grant Program Coordinator
A. David Lewis
A. David Lewis, PhD is an Eisner Award nominee (2015) and judge (2023), as well as co-editor of both Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels and Muslim Superheroes: Comics, Islam, and Representation. A founder of Comics Studies library collections at both Boston University and MCPHS University, Dr. Lewis is an Assistant Professor of English and Health Humanities as well as a member of the Center for Health Humanities. His teaching and research there focus on Graphic Medicine, both the depiction of cancer in comic books and graphic novels as well as the health impacts of loneliness. His favorite graphic novel is Masterpiece Comics by R. Sikoryak.
Educational Coordinator
Michael Gianfrancesco
Michael Gianfrancesco became the BCAF Educational Coordinator in 2025 focusing on creating programming for teachers and librarians. A 22 year veteran high school English teacher and advocate for the use of comics as a teaching tool across the country, he has curated events, panels, and workshops at Harvard, Brown, Fordham, SDCC, NYCC, C2E2, ECCC, DPCC, ALA, NEATE, NCTE, and other organizations. He is a founding member of the LitX teacher cohort and his first foray at comic creation was as a scriptwriter for the CISA-commissioned graphic novel Real Fake hosted on the CISA.gov website. His favorite graphic novel is I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura.