Mayor Picks Framingham's First Diversity, Inclusion Officer

Framingham MA

04 January, 2021

10:26 AM

Description

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer has selected a candidate to become the city's first diversity officer, a long-held goal for Spicer in her first term. Spicer named Maritsa Barros for the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer job. Barros was most recently the interim chief diversity officer at Lesley University in Cambridge, a position she took after serving as the school's associate diversity officer, according to the school. If approved by City Council, Barros would have a range of duties, from investigating complaints of discrimination to providing diversity training to city workers, according to the job description. "This role performs professional and organizational duties relating to formulating policy, administering and supervising programs that promote diversity and equal opportunity for both the solicitation of vendors, and recruitment of employees," the job description reads. "This role develops programs designed to support new vendors with compliance and bidding requirements. This role ensures organizational efficiency in the application of prescribed policies, procedures and methods." Spicer has been trying to fill the job since she took office. A candidate was selected after a search in 2019, but turned the job down due to a higher salary offer elsewhere, Spicer has said. This fall, the Council agreed to bump the salary for the job up to a maximum of $125,000 from the previous pay rate of about $100,000 per year. "Filling this position has been a long time coming," Spicer said in a Tuesday statement. "Dr. Barros is a remarkable candidate with a notable background who comes highly recommended. She has long been an advocate of equity, inclusion, and diversity and brings a very personal lens, as a daughter of immigrants, to view this work. Dr. Barros understands what it takes to build a welcoming and inclusive environment supported by policies and practices that truly reflect a community's diversity. Framingham is fortunate to have attracted such a talented individual to assume this role." Barros, 38, previously served as assistant director of admissions and multicultural recruitment at Framingham State University, the same position at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and an admissions counselor at Northeastern University, according to her LinkedIn profile. She earned a doctorate of education at Northeastern, and is a graduate of UMass Dartmouth. Spicer is asking the City Council Appointments Subcommittee to review Barros' qualifications ahead of a confirmation vote.