Maya Smith & Joye Williams
Co-founding Executive Directors, Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition
Joye Williams and Maya Smith are the Co-founding Executive Directors of the Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition (BHWOCC), a groundbreaking initiative uplifting the expertise, leadership, healing and environmental stewardship of women of color across Boston’s waterfront communities.
Joye, a Dorchester native and also serves as Director of Operations at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, brings over a decade of nonprofit leadership in organizational strategy, budgeting and environmental advocacy. She is also the founder of Joyefully Natural, a wellness brand rooted in ancestral healing and sustainability. Her community impact extends through board service with the Neponset River Watershed Association, the Dorchester Food Co-op and stewardship of urban gardens with The Trustees.
Maya, a passionate community-builder and Director of Partnerships & Program Development at Save the Harbor, oversees a $300,000 grant program advancing equitable waterfront access. She designs and scales programs that prioritize black, indigenous, immigrant, queer, disabled and working-class communities centering joy, equitable access and cultural relevance. Her work reflects years of organizing with artists, youth and elders across the city to reclaim nature as a space of belonging.
Together, Joye and Maya have grown BHWOCC into a 200+ member coalition that activates public community spaces through monthly meet-ups, professional development events, strategic planning sessions and collaborations that bridge environmental advocacy, culture and healing. Their leadership is rooted in love for their community, for nature and for collective advancement. With fierce clarity and community wisdom, they are transforming not only Boston Harbor but blue and green spaces across the region into a model of environmental justice led by those most impacted.
