Dr. Barbara Ferrer, a Jamaica Plain resident who serves as executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, recently announced she will resign effective Oct. 3.
Ferrer, who has led BPHC since 2007, is leaving to take a job as chief strategy officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a Michigan-based charitable fund.
“Barbara Ferrer has been a vital member of our City’s leadership team,” said Mayor Martin Walsh in a press statement. “She has made countless contributions and has played an instrumental role directing initiatives that have improved every aspect of health in Boston—from decreasing infant mortality rates to improving access to substance abuse treatment.”
“I am proud of what the BPHC staff, our partners, and the city, have accomplished with and for Boston’s residents,” said Ferrer in a press statement. “I know that I leave the commission in a strong position to continue its important work. I am excited take what I have learned here in Boston and translate it into a national and international philanthropic agenda that will help support communities improve education, health and economic security from a multifaceted approach.”
Dr. Huy Nguyen, the BPHC’s medical director, will serve as interim executive director while a search committee seeks candidates for a full-time replacement.
Dr. Barbara Ferrer. (Gazette File Photo/Mayor’s Office)