Maria Gomez RN, MPH

Maria Gomez is the founder, president, and CEO of Mary’s Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing healthcare, social services, and education in the DC metropolitan region since 1988. Under Maria’s leadership, Mary’s Center has grown from serving 200 participants with an initial budget of $250,000 to serving over 60,000 participants across seven locations in DC and Maryland and an annual budget of $76M. Maria has received numerous local and national recognitions including the White House 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. She is frequently recognized for her role in DC’s healthcare system and has become a recurrent health advisor for the DC Mayor’s office. Maria holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to establishing Mary’s Center, Maria was a public health nurse at the D.C. Department of Health.