Lenis comes to West End House with over fifteen years of experience in the youth development sector. She grew up among a family of club kids as a club kid herself, from Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. Through her club experience, she received a full-ride four-year education scholarship to attend the local private high school in Lawrence, MA, which was a monumental time in her life. Through this scholarship program, Lenis received an additional scholarship to attend college in New York, where she stayed and worked for two years as a middle school teacher, followed by working for ten years at the YMCA of Greater New York. When the COVID pandemic began in 2020, she moved back to Massachusetts and transitioned into her role as Associate Executive Director of Youth Development at the Merrimack Valley YMCA, before starting at the West End House as the new Chief Program Officer in May 2026.

Lenis’s time as a club kid heavily influenced the opportunities and experiences offered to her throughout her life and is a large reason why she decided to pursue youth development in her career. She states that joining the West End House team “is an exciting opportunity to give back to a movement that helped shape my life.”