Latina Leaders

Debra Joy Perez

Senior Vice President, Organizational Culture, Inclusion and Equity, Simmons University

Dr. Pérez is Senior Vice President for Organizational Culture, Inclusion and Equity at Simmons University. As Senior Vice President, Dr. Pérez  is responsible for expanding Simmons’ significant programs and practices underlying the university’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. She serves as a strategic partner to the President and to her colleagues in building bridges and identifying and pursuing meaningful engagement with faculty, staff, students, alumnae/i and the Boston community. In collaboration with the Office of the Provost and the Deans, Dr. Pérez works to integrate inclusive excellence into the university curriculum and pedagogy, preparing faculty to teach diverse learners and preparing students to navigate diverse communities. 

Prior to joining Simmons University, Dr. Pérez was the chief evaluation and learning officer at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF). As Chief, she worked closely with the grantmaking teams to advance the organization’s work in science, environmental conservation, patient care, and in the Bay Area. As chief evaluation, learning and monitoring officer, Dr. Pérez led a team of measurement, evaluation and monitoring officers including those embedded within the foundation’s four grantmaking programs. Dr. Pérez has extensive experience in leading research, evaluation and monitoring practices in philanthropy. She has been a leader in advancing evidence-based practices in evaluation and building new fields of research.  Dr. Pérez has been involved in recruiting and developing evaluation teams across multiple program areas in three major foundations over the last twenty years. 

For twenty years, Dr. Pérez worked in philanthropy to strengthen measurement, evaluation and learning, design the structures and processes to support the integration of measurement and evaluation processes with program design, adaptive management and continuous learning. She has been an advocate for transparency in philanthropy by sharing evaluation results with the public and key stakeholders, and facilitating dialogue on the foundation’s evaluation philosophy and efforts, both internally and externally.

Prior to joining Moore, Dr. Pérez was Vice President of Research, Evaluation and Learning at the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF). At AECF, Dr. Pérez was a member of the senior leadership team where she implemented new approaches for program performance measurement and management that align with program strategy and funding priorities. Prior to joining AECF, Dr. Pérez was the assistant vice president for research and evaluation at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she focused improving the quality of healthcare, reducing disparities and building the field of Public Health Services and Systems Research

Teury Marte

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Committee

Teury Marte is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Teury grew up on a farm without electricity and without a TV; and she was 18 years old when she walked into a library for the first time.

Growing up in a community where everyone cares about her wellbeing, Teury developed a sense of compassion and respect for humanity. She was raised in a household where work ethics, integrity, courage, humility, compassion, perseverance and respect for human dignity were embraced and have contributed to defining who she is. These fundamental values remain a continual source of inspiration in her endeavors. Her decisions are based on moral, legal and ethical principles, even when the laws, policy and procedure are as conflicted as they can be.

As an adult, she has held diverse positions in different organizations, but looking back, she sees that she has always approached work responsibilities in similar fashion in a quest to satisfy her innate drives, core values and intrinsic needs for growth and development.

Teury has been a fighter for immigrants, the homeless, veterans, quality education, green energy and healthy eating, safety and security and human rights.  She has been a fearless advocate against the opioid epidemic, human trafficking, workforce development, transparency and accountability, transportation, equality, diversity and inclusion, and other basic human needs.