Sonia Alleyne Matthews

Sonia L. Alleyne Matthews was recently promoted to vice president of community relations for Sovereign Bank. Based in Boston, Alleyne Matthews is responsible for managing the bank’s Spirit of Your Neighborhood Campaign. She also manages the Sovereign’s United Way Campaign for the New England region, and was responsible for creating the company’s corporate volunteer policy.

Alleyne Matthews joined Sovereign Bank in 2002 as a community relations manager, and most recently served as assistant vice president. Prior to joining Sovereign, she spent seven years as director of community investment at the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA).

She is president of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Boston, was a graduate of the UMass Emerging Leaders class of 2006, and was a fellow of the Partnership in their 2005 graduating class. Alleyne Matthews serves on a number of boards for local organizations, including YouthBuild Boston, the Roxbury Community College Foundation, the Givers Group and the Grant Makers Council of Rhode Island.

She received the Mayor’s Award in consecutive years for community service in Boston, was a recipient of the Hidden Heroes Award in 2005 for Civic Leadership and became the first recipient of the United Way of New England’s Community Capital Award in 2005 for Exceptional Project Management.

In addition, Alleyne Matthews was recognized with the 2004 Rebecca Lee Award from Harvard University’s School of Public Health and the state Department of Public Health. She has been recognized as a YMCA Black Achiever Award and is a two-time recipient of the Sawyer School of Management Scholarship Award at Suffolk University.

Alleyne Matthews holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in political science from Northeastern University, as well as a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in state and local government from Suffolk University.