Maria Gomez

Maria founded Mary’s Center in 1988 with the mission to build better futures through the delivery of health care, education, and social services. With a $37 million annual budget, Mary’s Center serves nearly 40,000 participants at four medical locations, a senior wellness center, and two mobile units in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Maria has been the recipient of numerous local and national important recognitions, including the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. In February 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama chose Mary’s Center as the site of her first official visit to a nonprofit because of the organization’s comprehensive work with families in the region. Maria holds a BS in nursing from Georgetown University and an MPH from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to establishing Mary’s Center, Maria was a public health nurse with the D.C. Department of Health. She has also worked for the Red Cross, where she directed community education programming and disaster services, and with the Visiting Nurses Association. Maria serves on the board of United Medical Center. She is on the advisory board of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute and on Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser’s transition team. Originally from Colombia, Maria immigrated to the United States with her mother at age 13 and attended D.C. public schools. Maria and Miachel Rexrode have been married for 23 years and have a daughter, Amalia Gomez-Rexrode ’13.