2024 Robert Restuccia “Champion for Children’s Health Awards

They have helped and dedicated their Time, Talent and Treasure…

Marie Cassidy, Director, Medford Family Network

Many people put family first, but as a Head Start driectro, public school teacher, and social worker, Marie Cassidy has done it professionally for nearly five decades. As director of the Medford Family Network (MFN) of the Medford Public Schools for 25 years, Cassidy has worked to build and bolster support systems for families of young children and establish relationships between community agencies. She is a long-time partner, collaborator, presenter and keynote speaker at JCCHCE Parent Universities and other parent groups for the JCCHCE.

“At the Medford Family Network, we are always looking for ways to connect families with each other, and with the resources they need,” she has said. Cassidy has created many of those resources herself, developing events and activities including free English classes, family summer concerts, evening and weekend play groups, and workshops for teen parents and grandparents raising young children – which she has personally headed.

A well-known community leader and convener, Cassidy served as a member and officer of the antipoverty Tri-City Community Action Program and is the former chair and current member of the Medford Human Rights Commission, working to protect Medford residents’ civil rights, reinforce a positive community atmosphere, promote understanding, eliminate prejudice and intolerance, and mediate within the community. She is a strong voice for children and families.

Suzanne Curry is currently the Director of Policy Initiatives at Health Care for All (HCFA). Since joining HCFA in 2006, Suzanne has taken on many roles, ranging from administrative support to policy and coalition management.

As the Behavioral Health Policy Director, she focuses on children’s health, mental health, delivery system reform and public and private health insurance coverage and access issues. Suzanne has always been a strong supporter, colleague and collaborator with The JCCHCE. Her dedication and collaboration with JCCHCE and its mission has been profound and truly appreciated.

Prior to working at HCFA, Suzanne was a union organizer and an administrative coordinator at health care institutions. Suzanne has a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science from Boston University.

State Senator Jason Lewis proudly represents the people of the Fifth Middlesex District of Massachusetts, which includes the cities and towns of Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, and parts of Winchester. First elected to the Senate in 2014, he has delivered results for his district and been a progressive leader for the Commonwealth. He very much is a Champion for Children working on many issues that will keep our children and families healthy, safe and happy. He understands the work of the JCCHCE, supports the JCCHCE, and all it has accomplished over the last 30 years.

Senator Lewis has long championed educational equity and led the effort to pass the Student Opportunity Act in 2019, landmark legislation to ensure that every child in Massachusetts has access to a high-quality public education. Senator Lewis also led the effort in 2018 to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and to create a new universal paid family and medical leave program. He was recognized for this achievement by being named an Honorable Mention for the 2018 Bostonians of the Year by the Boston Globe.

Senator Lewis was born in South Africa and came to the United States with his family when he was twelve years old. His experience growing up in a segregated society – as South Africa was under the racist apartheid system at the time. – grounded him with a deep sense of social justice, and he has been outspoken on issues of racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equity.

Marcony Almeida Barros is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Access & Opportunity for Governor Maura T. Healey. As Deputy Chief of Staff, he oversees the Healey-Driscoll administrations initiatives on equity and inclusion, including leading the administration’s first-ever equity assessment, which analyzed how each state agency can improve equity , accessibility and accountability. Last year, Governor Healey signed Executive Order No. 612, Instituting the Practice of Equity Assessment Government-Wide and Creating the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Increasing Equity Through Data, which declared equity to be the standard for all policies, practices and services to delivered in Massachusetts and directed state agencies to regularly assess their work through this lens.

The Deputy Chief also oversees the implementation of the Governor’s initiative to increase language access across state government, making the delivery of services and resources more accessible and equitable for residents with limited English proficiency by requiring executive department agencies to develop Language Access Plans. In addition, Marcony oversees the work of the the Supplier Diversity Office to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in state contracting by certifying diverse businesses (minority, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran, disability and LGBT-owned) and small Massachusetts based businesses; connecting these companies with business opportunities and resources that enhance their marketability when bidding on public contracts; and collaborating with Executive Agencies and public organizations to identify and remove barriers for divers and small businesses; and increase diverse and small business spending.

Prior to joining Governor Healey’s senior team, he served as Chief of Community Engagement for the Office of the Attorney General where he led the implementation of the first-of-its-kind community engagement division at an AG’s office in the country, bringing the office to receive an award from the Harvard Kennedy School as one of the top 10 innovations in American government. Marcony also served as Chief of Staff and Executive Director of the the state’s Office for Refugees and Immigrants. His passion for public service brought him also to run for local office, elected in 2018 as the first Latino to serve on the Everett School Committee where he implemented a pilot program – the first ever at a high school in the Commonwealth – to assist homeless students with housing stability. He is a graduate from Northeastern University with an MS in Corporate and Organizational Communications with concentration in Leadership.