Maria Echaveste

Valuing Diversity to Achieve Equity 

Maria Echaveste’s work is driven by a belief in the importance of collaboration and sharing information and best practices, even with those who hold opposing views. This approach, she says, requires valuing the differing views of a diverse community, “as hard as it is.” Maria, who served as Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Chief of Staff in the Clinton administration, invites partnership with people who bring vigorous debate and creative thinking to ensuring the best decisions are made for the right reasons regarding the future of children's health. 

Today, Maria leads the Opportunity Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for increasing social and economic mobility and advancing racial equity. "Bringing an equity lens to every factor impacting children's health—from nutrition to education to civil rights—is essential to providing the next generation with the tools to thrive,” says Echaveste. "It's the only way we'll make faster progress toward a future where a child's race, gender, economic class, or ZIP code doesn’t determine their likelihood of being born healthy or where they can grow and develop in healthy ways.” 

This summer, Maria joined the Board of Directors at Alliance for a Healthier Generation, where she has pledged to bring her visionary healthy equity leadership to support every aspect of family health and well-being. “I look forward to serving with my colleagues to support Healthier Generation in ensuring that every mind, every body, and every young person is healthy and ready to succeed.