Juan Vega

Juan R. Vega serves as assistant secretary for communities and programs in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development where he focuses on helping communities prepare for success by working to empower local and municipal leaders and better connect them to existing resources.

Juan served as president and CEO of Centro Latino, a multi-service nonprofit founded in 1989 to improve the education, health, and social well-being outcomes of Latinos and immigrants in eastern Massachusetts, from 1998 through 2015. In this role he increased the profile of the agency, strengthened its management structure, and expanded programs, including a merger in 2009 with Concilio Hispano, a similar organization based in Cambridge. He was in this role when recognized as a Barr Fellow in 2009.

Juan has played key roles in the development of several strategic collaborations in Chelsea and Greater Boston to leverage resources for the community. He served on the Chelsea City Council from 1994 to 2001, and as Council president in 1999—the first Latino in the state to serve in that capacity at the municipal level.