The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) Board of Directors elected a new slate of officers for the 2022-2024 term at its monthly meeting on November 22. Antonio Massa Viana, Esq., of Sudbury, founder and Managing Attorney at Massa Viana Law, was elected as the health and social service organization’s new Board President. He takes over from Susan Pacheco of Arlington, Executive Director at the Cambridge Council on Aging, who presided over the Board for two consecutive terms between 2018 and 2022.
“I love this organization and am very honored to serve as its new Board President,” said Viana. “I am also looking forward to working with MAPS Board members, staff, and CEO, to continue to improve the lives of the people we serve, as well as focusing on the people who make that service possible, the staff at MAPS.”
Patricia de Oliveira, a resident of Everett and Pet Concierge at MonumenTails, was elected to serve as the Board’s Vice-President, taking over for Raymond Estrella, MBA, from Somerville, Finance Comptroller at Edenred Benefits. Estrella served as the Board’s VP between 2018 and 2022.
Former President Susan Pacheco will now be the Board Treasurer, succeeding Mary Ann Lomba, MBA, a retired Finance Consultant from Boston who has served the MAPS Board in many roles for almost 30 years.
“I want to extend my deepest appreciation for having had the opportunity to serve as Board President for the past four years,” said Pacheco. “It has been an extreme honor, and I look forward to continuing as Board Treasurer to continue to lead MAPS to empower our Portuguese-speaking communities.”
Salem resident Elizabeth Chaves will serve another term as the Board’s Secretary. She is the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer at Rosie’s Place and has served on the Board since 2008.
“I am very excited at the opportunity to work closely with our new Board President Antonio Massa Viana, who is exceptionally passionate about immigrant and civil rights and extremely committed to our mission,” said MAPS CEO Paulo Pinto, MPA. “I also want to extend our deepest appreciation to our outgoing Board President Susan Pacheco. During these past almost three years of challenging times as we navigated the pandemic, I was very fortunate to have Susan’s steady leadership and partnership, and as a result, we experienced great stability and growth as an organization.”