Marta Rivera has over 30 years of experience working in communities throughout Boston.  Ms. Rivera is a seasoned professional in human services with significant program development, strategic planning and community engagement experience.  Most recently, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Health & Human Services (HHS) cabinet in Boston. HHS was the city’s largest cabinet, consisting of ten departments including Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF). As Chief of Staff, Ms. Rivera worked closely with the HHS Chief throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to establish policies and services that ensured equitable access to testing and vaccination.

Ms. Rivera’s professional career has included work in the public and nonprofit sectors. Leveraging every opportunity to address and impact some of the most critical issues in Boston, she has held leadership positions at The Boston Foundation, City Year and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  She also held a leadership position at BCYF in 2006 as the Director of Capacity Building & Community Partnerships. It was during that time that she led the Mayor’s Citywide Girls’ Initiative and founded the Mayor’s Annual Girls Summit which still takes place today.  

A Boston native who grew up in public housing and attended Boston Public Schools,  she is deeply committed to issues affecting urban families and youth. Ms. Rivera has been involved with numerous civic groups and organizations including Parker Hill-Fenway ABCD, Boston RBI and The Food Project. In 1999, she helped establish the Mission Hill Youth Collaborative with the goal of strengthening the network of  youth-serving entities in Mission Hill to provide the best possible services for youth and support for youth workers.  

Ms. Rivera was also a dedicated Parenting Educator with Families First Parenting Programs for thirteen years. Families First provides training to parents who have limited access to parenting resources. As a Parenting Educator she facilitated hundreds of workshops in English and Spanish on a variety of topics including positive discipline strategies, bullying, and the impact of violence on children. Currently, she is the Board President of Sociedad Latina, a non-profit organization that addresses pressing issues facing Latino youth today through a vast array of programs. Through her work and volunteer service, she strives to make a significant difference and contribution to the future of Boston.