BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll  announced Vilma Uribe of Dorchester as executive director of the Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking.

 

Uribe has been a council member since 2015, and in this new role, she will be responsible for overseeing the work done by the Council to advise the administration on strategies to prevent and protect people from these crimes and support victims and survivors. 

 

The council is chaired by Driscoll and puts forth recommendations to advise the governor on how to help individuals, children, and families of Massachusetts live a life free of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking. The council's goals are to improve prevention for all, enhance support for those impacted by sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking, and hold perpetrators accountable. The council is comprised of experts from across the state and has identified priorities with accompanied subcommittees — Assessment and Response; Early Interventions for Children and Youth; Economic Mobility; Housing Stability; Human Trafficking; and Veterans, Military, and Families. The subcommittees review existing laws and programs and provide recommendations for improvement. 

 

Earlier this year, the Healey-Driscoll administration expanded the scope of the council, previously known as the Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, to include Human Trafficking as a subcommittee given the severity and prevalence of the crime in Massachusetts. 

 

"Here in Massachusetts, we are committed to supporting and protecting survivors and taking early steps to prevent crimes in the first place," said Healey. "Vilma Uribe's extensive experience in this field and her dedication to supporting survivors makes her a clear choice to direct this council. I want to thank the council members for their work and the lieutenant governor for chairing this important group."

 

As a council member, Uribe developed policy recommendations for the governor and lieutenant governor related to the state's funding, programs and best practices for the response, prevention and treatment of domestic violence and sexual assault. She also co-led the Economic Mobility Subcommittee, and developed resource mobilization strategies and policy recommendations for expanding social and economic opportunities. 

 

Prior to this role, Uribe was the director of policy and systems change advocacy for REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, where she led advocacy strategies to support survivors while working with various stakeholders. She has held severa research positions that support her work and supervised a full-time bilingual child and adolescent therapist, bilingual outreach and engagement manager.

 

"I've dedicated my career to direct service in support of survivors, and I am thrilled to take on this new role as executive director of the Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking," said Uribe. "I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to thrive, not just survive. In this position, I'm excited about the chance to support individuals, children, and families throughout the state who have been affected by violence. But beyond that, I'm determined to take crucial steps to prevent violence from occurring in the first place."