CHI CEO Joanne L. Calista is Appointed for Second Three-Year Term on the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) Board of Directors

Joanne Calista, MS, LICSW, is a nationally known CHW subject matter expert (SME) and leader in developing CHW-related education and policy. Appointed by Governor Patrick in 2012, Ms. Calista has served as an inaugural member (and is the current Vice Chair) of the MA Department of Public Health’s Board of Certification of CHWs. In 2023, Ms. Calista was elected to the Board of Directors of NACHW and served as Co-chair of the Policy Committee. In 2026 she was re-elected for a second term and serves as Board Treasurer.

Ms. Calista was a founding member of the New England Coalition of CHWs (Workforce Sustainability Committee), a member of the CDC Community Guide’s CVD Advisory Group and has held leadership positions in the American Public Health Association CHW Section. Among her publications in the field, she authored the CHW Integration and Sustainability Pilot Project report for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (2022).

NACHW is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership-driven organization with a mission to unify CHWs across geography, ethnicity, sector and experience to support communities to achieve health, equity and social justice.