Cheryl Bartlett is the President and CEO of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center. Ms. Bartlett is an accomplished professional with over 35 years of leadership experience in nursing, health care administration, public health and health policy positions. Cheryl served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health under Governor Patrick implementing many innovative public health interventions and programs. She is the first nurse to have been appointed to serve as Commissioner. Under Cheryl’s leadership, Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to declare the use of opioids, and associated overdose deaths, a public health emergency and to provide universal access to nasal naloxone, a drug to reverse overdoses. During her appointment, she chaired the inaugural MA Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund’s Advisory Board, the MA Statewide Comprehensive Cancer Advisory Board and the MA Interagency Council for Substance Abuse Prevention.
Ms. Bartlett has served on numerous boards of nonprofit organizations to address homelessness, domestic violence, substance use, mental health, public health and positive youth development. Currently she serves on the boards for the Plymouth Peer Recovery Center, the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless, the Regeneration Committee for the New Bedford Economic Development Council. In June 2018, Cheryl received the Lemuel Shattuck Award from the MA Public Health Association for significant contributions to improving public health across the Commonwealth.
