Latinas Today
Domenica Escatel Takes on New Leadership Role Championing Women
Domenica Escatel has been appointed to serve as the Vice President of Programs on the board of the Stanislaus County Commission for Women. The Stanislaus County Commission for Women seeks to support all women in attaining their goals. The commission advocates for more women in positions of leadership, whether in the area of philanthropy, business, non-profit, sports, science and technology, education, public office, or other areas.
Escatel is a local entrepreneur dedicated to educating, empowering, and equipping our next generation of leaders. Escatel holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University and a bachelor’s in Studio Art from San Jose State University. She is an alumna of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality’s Hope Leadership Institute and Leadership Modesto. Escatel has been a guest speaker at Harvard University, UC Merced, and UC Davis Entrepreneur Academy, and The Positive People Speaker Series hosted by Modesto Junior College.
Escatel is a past nominee for USA Today’s 2021 Humankind Award. Escatel was recognized by Brainz Magazine as the 2020 global Influencer of the year. She is also the awardee of the 2019 Latina of Influence by Hispanic Lifestyle, the 2018 Women of the Year by Stanislaus Commission for Women, and the 2016 20 Under 40 Modesto Bee.
Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde Appointed to serve as the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services in NYC
Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde is the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services in NYC, appointed in January 2026. As Deputy Mayor for HHS, she oversees 13 agencies and offices across the health, social services, children’s services, and related areas. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Arteaga served as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, a Level I Trauma Center and the second oldest public hospital in New York City. She was the first woman and the first Latina to helm the hospital’s executive team. Under Helen’s leadership, Elmhurst has been recognized as one of U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Regional Hospitals” and as one of the nation’s “High Performing” hospitals, as well as a “Top Place to Work” by City and State NY. Over her five years as CO of Elmhurst, Helen secured millions in public funding for key capital projects for the facility, including $27.5 million from New York State for a new Women’s Pavilion and a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, along with other federal, state, and New York City funds totaling close to $140 million for major improvement initiatives.
She has a bachelor’s degree from New York University, a Master of Public Health from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from the City University of New York. In 2025, she was named one of City and State’s Queens Power 100. She has also been noted as one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Women Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know” for both 2024 and 2025.
Arteaga is a recipient of the prestigious Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund for her distinguished accomplishments in the field of urban public health, the Mujeres Destacadas award from El Diario NY, the City University of New York’s “50 Under 50” alumni award, and a notable alumni award from CUNY’s School of Public Health.
Secretary Juana B. Matias was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey
Secretary Juana B. Matias was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey in April 2026 to lead the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
A lifelong advocate for opportunity, Matias has built her career around expanding access to safe, stable homes and strengthening pathways to economic mobility for Massachusetts residents.
As the secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Matias leads the state’s mission to create more homes and lower housing costs across Massachusetts. The executive office also distributes funding for community development initiatives, oversees the state-aided public housing portfolio and operates homelessness prevention and housing stabilization programs.
Before joining the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Matias served as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator for New England, overseeing federal housing programs across all six New England states. Appointed in April 2022 by President Joe Biden, Matias served as HUD’s senior leader and chief liaison in the region, directing strategic planning and implementation for affordable housing, homeownership initiatives, community development , and enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. In that role, she worked with elected officials, community leaders and the media to advance housing priorities, strengthen local capacity and forge public-private partnerships that expanded HUD’s impact across the region.
Prior to HUD, Matias served as chief operating officer of MassINC, a nonpartisan public policy think tank, where she oversaw operations and financial strategy and helped lead policy initiatives focused on equitable solutions in education, housing, transit-oriented development and workforce development.
A lifelong advocate for opportunity, Matias is an attorney and began her career advocating on behalf of low-income immigrant children and their families.
She holds a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School and a bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston.