Maria S. Gomez, RN, MPH
President & CEO

Maria S. Gomez, a native of Colombia, South America, has led Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care since its beginning 15 years ago, and has been responsible for the phenomenal growth of the Center’s activities in providing health care and related services to the underserved women, children, and adolescents of the District of Columbia. Mary’s Center began as a clinic to provide prenatal and postpartum care for the primarily Latino women of Ward 1 and has grown from an initial budget of $250,000 to an annual budget of nearly $8 million. Mary's Center now serves more than 5,200 individuals and families from across the metropolitan area, and has established a full complement of programs to support its mission, which is to build better futures through health care, education, and social services that embrace our culturally diverse community.

In addition to the outstanding work Gomez has accomplished at Mary’s Center, she has received many awards both for herself and on behalf of the Center, including the Jessie Bernard Wise Woman Award from the Center for Women Policy Studies; the Hispanic Community Leadership Award from the Hispanic Employees Association; Washingtonian of the Year as named by Washingtonian magazine; and the Hugh A. Johnson, Jr., Memorial Award from the Hispanic Bar Association of DC. As recognition for her outstanding leadership skills and management team, in 1999 Mary’s Center received the Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. Gomez was also named finalist to the prestigious Bender Prize and in 1999 became an Honorary Inductee of Sigma Theta Tau, the Honorary Society of Nursing. In 2001 she received the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Conversation Changers Award and also was recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for her leadership in providing access to care for Latina women and their children. In 2002 Gomez received the Champions of Choice Award from Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington.

Mary MacPherson
Board Chair

Mary MacPherson is the founder of M2Works LLC, an independent consultancy focused on entrepreneur- ship, entrepreneurial networks and community building, innovation, and regional economic development. She works with organizations on initiatives in these areas and with early stage companies on strategic business and marketing projects.

Mary is an industry executive with a background in both technology businesses and the non-profit community. Her experience includes serving as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Blackboard Inc.; leading the Morino Institute’s programs, activities, and representation in entrepreneurship, including Netpreneur, Greater Washington’s community of early stage entrepreneurs and their stakeholders; responsibilities in marketing, sales, and customer service for MCI; and marketing programs to the Federal government for Apple Computer's Federal Systems Group.

Mary advises a number of non-profit organizations including the Washington DC Tech Council, the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (DC Chapter), The Angels Network, MindShare, and Mary’s Center. She is a member of Women Angels, Women in Technology, and the Potomac Officers Club. She also served on the Boards of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association and the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and as a Trustee for the Fairfax Education Foundation.

In 2003, Mary was recognized by Women in Technology and the March of Dimes as a Heroine of Technology. In 2001, Washingtonian Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington . She holds a BA in American Studies from Mary Washington College.