The board of directors of the Massachusetts Public Health Association appointed Toby Fisher to serve as the organization’s new executive director.
Fisher, who has 20 years of experience in health and human services, will lead the MPHA in the next phase of its work to protect and promote the well-being of all Massachusetts residents — including ensuring effective implementation of the $60 million Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund recently established as part of Massachusetts cost control legislation.
Fisher previously served as executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with mental illnesses and their families.
“I am honored to be joining MPHA and look forward to celebrating, protecting, and expanding on the important public health victories spearheaded by MPHA in the last five years,” Fisher says in a press release. “MPHA has always been a tireless advocate for the policies, programs, and funding that support healthy residents and vibrant communities — including the most significant new public health funding in a decade in the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund. As executive director, I will fight every day to protect these victories and work with our members, partners, and policymakers to build a healthier future for our Commonwealth.”
Fisher is an adjunct professor at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, where he teaches leadership, administration and community development. He holds an MSW and an MBA, both from Boston College.
Latina Style magazine, the nation’s leading publication for Hispanic business women, named social worker Maribel Quiala among its 2012 Hispanic Women of Distinction. Quiala is the director Clinical Services at Fort Lauderdale Hospital in Miami Beach, Fla. Quiala was selected unanimously by the five judges based on her involvement in expanding access of health care, using her bilingual skills to educate and empower others and demonstrating her commitment to the community by her service on various boards and nonprofits. Awardees are also considered role models for young Latinas.
Robin Marrero (bottom right) received the Angels in Adoption award, representing Louisiana, from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to raise awareness about the needs of children without families. The organization also works to remove policy barriers that hinder children from knowing the love and support a family provides.
Each year, the CCAI sponsors its signature awareness program, Angels in Adoption, which allows members of Congress to honor an individual or entity for making an extraordinary contribution on behalf of children in need of homes.
According to an article published in The Advocate, in Baton Rouge, La., Robin and her husband, Hugo Marrero, have adopted two children. Robin has also volunteered her social work skills for years with the St. Elizabeth Foundation, a nonprofit Baton Rouge adoption agency. The St. Elizabeth Foundation and U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., nominated Marrero for the Angel in Adoption award.