Maria S. Gomez, RN, MPH
Maria S. Gomez, president and chief executive officer of Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, founded the center in 1988 to build better futures through health care, education, and social services that embrace cultural diversity in the community. Established as a clinic to provide prenatal and postpartum care for the primarily Latino women of Ward One, Mary's Center serves thousands of families from across the DC metropolitan area, establishing a full complement of programs to focus on holistic family needs. Ms. Gomez has been recognized for her work in health care by numerous local and national civic organizations. She currently serves as a board member to the National Council of la Raza and the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. In December 2006, the District's Mayor-elect office appointed Maria as the issue chair for public health, to drive the health action plan for the administration's first 100 days in office.
Prior to establishing Mary's Center, Maria worked for the DC Department of Health as a public health nurse. Originally from Colombia, Maria immigrated to the United States with her mother at age 13 and attended DC Public Schools. Ms. Gomez obtained her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree from Georgetown University and a Master's in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley.