Governor Names Executive Director of Domestic Violence Council

08:19AM / Sunday, January 21, 2024Print Story | Email Story

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."

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Pittsfield Seeks $28M Borrowing for Water, Sewer Infrastructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:32PM / Saturday, February 28, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is seeking a total of $28 million in borrowing authorizations to upgrade its drinking and wastewater infrastructure.

This includes $13 million for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and $15 million for upgrades to the Cleveland and Ashley Water Treatment Plants, which are located outside Pittsfield. The City Council referred the $15 million borrowing request to the Finance Subcommittee on Tuesday.

The full drinking water project is expected to cost $165 million over the next 8 years, with $150 million for long-term construction and $15 million for near-term needs. The initial ask would fund the final design and permitting for Phases 1-3, Phase 1 of interim updates, allowances, and contingency.

After the meeting, Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales explained that these are needed repairs so the current infrastructure can be stretched a little longer while design work is underway.

Pittsfield's two Krofta drinking water treatment plants were installed in the 1980s. The city says they are beyond anticipated useful service and at risk for catastrophic failure that could leave Pittsfield with a shortage of potable water.

Krofta is a compact filtration system that Pittsfield will continue to use. There are four units at the Cleveland WTP and two at the Ashley WTP. Morales said the system is "very good" but needs to be upgraded.

"We were one of the first to use that type of technology in the 80s, and it's outdated now, and getting parts and getting repairs to it is very costly because of the outdated technology that it's using, and we can replace that with better infrastructure," he explained.

"We need to build a chemical facility on the Cleveland side. We already have that done at Ashley with [American Rescue Plan Act] funds, largely, and then we need to build better tank holding systems at the plants to allow for chlorination to happen at the plant, instead of on its way down to Pittsfield."