Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday plans to sign an executive order establishing a Governor's Council on Latino Empowerment.
"Our Latino community makes Massachusetts strong," Healey said in a statement Tuesday morning. "With the collective vision and drive of this incredible group of Latino leaders, we will grow even stronger. Together, we can break down systemic barriers and expand access opportunity by prioritizing education, job training, entrepreneurship and affordability."
Josiane Martinez, CEO of Archipelago Strategies Group and former director of the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants, will chair the council. La Colaborativa Executive Director Gladys Vega will serve as vice-chair.
There are about 850,000 Latinos in Massachusetts, according to The Boston Foundation research center Boston Indicators, comprising 12% of the state population. In Massachusetts the largest group of Latinos is Puerto Rican (42%), and Latinos are concentrated in Boston and the state's "gateway cities."
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The cities and towns with the highest concentrations of Latinos are Lawrence (77% of the city population), Chelsea (66%), Holyoke (50%), Springfield (42%) and Lynn (36%). Researchers say Latino population growth accounts for 92% of Boston's total growth from 1980 to 2015.
Healey's office on Tuesday released the names of 40 individuals who will be appointed to the council, which plans to hold its first meeting on Wednesday with Healey in attendance. They are:
- Liliana Patino, Director of Community Engagement, Eliot Family Resources Center
- Grace Moreno, Executive Director, Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce
- Eneida Román, President and CEO, Amplify Latinx
- Margareth Shepard, Community Leader and Former Framingham City Councilor
- Heloisa Galvão, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Brazilian Women’s Group
- Lenita Reason, Executive Director, Brazilian Worker Center
- Adrian Velazquez, Chief Advocacy Officer, Cooperative Credit Union Association, Inc.
- Carmen Arce-Bowen, COO, The Partnership, Inc.
- Oscar Escobar, CEO, Blue Nest Real Estate
- Amanda Fernandez, CEO and Co-Founder, Latinos for Education
- Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, Chief Strategy Advisor, Mrs. Wordsmith and Boston School Committee member
- Marty Martinez, CEO, Reach Out and Read National; Former Chief of Health and Human Services for the City of Boston
- Carolina Trujillo Executive Director, Citizens Inn, Inc.
- Cristina Aguilera Sandoval Executive Director, Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative
- Luisa Peña Lyons, Founder and CEO, Bridge Forward Fund
- Roxana Rivera, Vice President, 32BJ SEIU
- Zamawa Arenas, Founder & CEO, Flowetik
- Celina Barrios-Millner, Co-Vice President, Office of Race and Equity Research at the Urban Institute
- Betty Francisco, CEO, Boston Impact Initiative
- Rep. Andy Vargas, Vice Chair, Black & Latino Legislative Caucus
- Carlos Aramayo, President, UNITE HERE Local 26
- Patricia Sobalvaro Executive Director, Agencia ALPHA
- Damaris Frias-Batista, Chief of Operations & Co-Founder, Center for Assistance to Families/ Centro de Apoyo Familiar
- Gladys Ortiz, Bilingual Advocacy and Systems Change Manager, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence;
- Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA)
- Grace Corporan, Site Director, Families & Youth Initiative/PATCH Lawrence
- Nahir Torres, Senior Program Officer, The Hyams Foundation
- Monica Lowell, Former Vice President Community Health Transformation/Community Benefits at UMass Memorial Health
- Samalid Hogan, Western Mass Regional Director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center
- Juan Lopera Fernando, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health
- Juan Carlos Morales, Founder and Managing Partner, Surfside Capital Advisors LLC
- Carolina Avellaneda, Chief Strategy Officer & Strategic Counsel, UMass
- Yvonne Garcia, Chief of Staff to CEO, State Street
- Rosalin Acosta, Managing Director, Government & Public Sector at Ernst and Young
- Dan Rivera, President and CEO, Mass Development
- Dr. Joseph Betancourt, President, The Commonwealth Fun
- Mary Skelton Roberts, Climate & Philanthropy Strategist
