Chief Programs Officer
Odessa has 25 years of experience as a public health professional working towards healthy and equitable communities both locally and abroad. Odessa previously held senior-level positions with Jhamtse International, CASPAR Inc. of Bay Cove, and the Boston Public Health Commission. As Chief Programs Officer, Odessa oversees training, technical assistance, and capacity building efforts throughout the continuum of care for disordered gambling and gaming. She works to promote a trauma informed understanding of gaming and gambling problems, particularly in communities that have high exposure to racism, economic marginalization, disproportionate institutionalization, and precarious immigration status. Odessa is fluent in Spanish and facilitates the agency’s Racial Justice and Health Equity Working Group. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and received her Master of Arts Degree in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University in Cambridge MA. She is on the Advisory Board of Bridging Mind and Body, a non-profit bringing trauma-informed yoga teacher training and wellness programming to girls and women, especially those who have experienced gender-based violence.