2020 Bernardin Lecture

Tuesday March 17, 2020 – 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Location: Riggs Library with a reception to follow

*Postponed due to COVID-19; Please check back in the future for a rescheduled date

Maria Gomez, president and CEO of Mary’s Center, founded the organization in 1988 as a clinic to provide prenatal and postpartum care to Latino women living in DC’s Ward 1. Since then, Mary’s Center has grown from an initial budget of $250,000, serving 200 participants a year, to an annual budget of $61 million serving nearly 50,000 participants at five medical locations, two senior wellness centers, and a program office throughout DC and Maryland in 2018.  

Maria was selected by the White House as one of the 18 recipients of the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. She is also frequently recognized for her role in the DC metropolitan region’s healthcare system.  

Prior to establishing Mary’s Center, Maria was a public health nurse at the D.C. Department of Health. She also worked at the Red Cross, where she directed community education programming and disaster services, and at the Visiting Nurses Association. Originally from Colombia, Maria immigrated with her mother at age 13 and attended DC Public Schools. Maria obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley. She currently serves as a board member for the DC Primary Care Association, the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County, and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Biography courtesy of https://www.maryscenter.org/staff-members/maria-s-gomez-rn-mph/