Jovita Fontanez
Jovita Fontánez is the first Hispanic woman to serve as head of the Boston Election Commission[1] and the first Hispanic woman elected to the Electoral College of Massachusetts.[2] In 2014, she was honored for her contributions to the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños (Center for Puerto Rican Studies) archive at Hunter College of the City University of New York.[3]
Jovita Fontanez | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Northeastern University |
| Known for | Boston Election Commission, Electoral College of Massachusetts |
Early life and education
Fontanez was born in New York[4] to a Puerto Rican family.[5] In the 1950s, she moved to the South End of Boston with her family[1][6] when she was eight,[7] and later became active in Boston politics.[5] After she arrived in Boston, her English skills were underdeveloped, and she was held back in fourth grade.[7]
She graduated from UMass Boston in 1984 with a sociology degree,[7] holds an MPA from Northeastern University, and has completed executive management[7] graduate programs at Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.[2]
Career
During the course of her career, Fontanez has worked for a variety of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and political campaigns.[4][6] She served as the head of the Boston Election Commission for three years.[5]
She has served as one of the first Latina commissioners of the Boston Fair Housing Commission, was the founding member and associate director of the South End Community Health Center,[6][5] a family case worker for South End Neighborhood Action Program,[7] and worked as a business manager for the City of Boston Business Development Office.[4] She has regularly attended the Democratic National Convention as a delegate.[5][6] In 2013, she was a member of the Massachusetts Democratic Latino Caucus.[8]
She has also been a grassroots community activist, and in 1994[7] helped found and served as a director of Casa Esperanza's Latinas y Niños, a residential treatment facility focused on the needs of Latina women,[5][9][2] including to allow mothers to maintain custody of their children while they complete treatment, as well as additional supports such as job training and parenting classes.[7]
She has also served as a board member of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA),[1] Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, and the South End Community Health Center.[6]
Honors and awards
- 2012, La Alianza Hispana honor, for support of the Latino community[10]
Personal life
She raised her two children in her home on Dartmouth Street in Boston.[6] In 2004, she survived a successful operation to remove a benign brain tumor.[5]
References
- Morales, Karen (November 29, 2017). "IBA looks back at 50 years of community achievements". Bay State Banner. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- "External Advisory Board Members". Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy. University of Massachusetts Boston. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- Montero, Juanluis (May 23, 2014). "100 National Leaders honored for preserving Puerto Rican Experience". El Mundo Boston. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- Valiente, Ciro (May 3, 2017). "Rinden homenaje a Jovita Fontanez". El Mundo Boston. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- Jonas, Michael (August 1, 2004). "State party's own 'Comeback Kid'". Boston.com. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- Shannon, Hope J. (May 5, 2014). Legendary Locals of Boston's South End. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 34. ISBN 9781439645024. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- "Three decades of public service and counting". UMass Boston Alumni Magazine. UMass Boston. 1999. Archived from the original on December 25, 2004. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- Rizzuto, Robert (September 17, 2013). "Massachusetts Democratic Party aims to bring more Latinos into political process". Retrieved 22 June 2021.
Updated Mar 24, 2019
- "Jovita Fontanez". C-SPAN. December 3, 1997. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- "La Alianza Hispana honored six women of courage". El Planeta. June 29, 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2021.