2021 Recipient, MPHA Paul Revere Award

At MPHA’s 2021 Spring Awards Breakfast on June 4, we recognized individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to achieving health equity in Massachusetts.

This year, we honored Michael Curry, Esq., CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, with the Paul Revere Award for his unwavering leadership and commitment to reducing health inequities in our Commonwealth. Leon W. Russell, Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors, presented the award to Mr. Curry.

MPHA also recognized Martha Velez, the Director of Human Services for the City of Lawrence, with our Community Leadership Award for her outstanding service to the community, both throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and following the Columbia Gas explosions in 2018. Kendrys Vasquez, Mayor of Lawrence, MA, presented the award to Ms. Velez.

2021 Bio for Michael Curry

Michael Curry, Esq. is the CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which represents 52 health centers, serving over 1 million patients out of over 314 practice sites throughout the state. He previously served as Deputy CEO & General Counsel for the Mass League. Prior to joining the League in 2008, Michael worked for 16 years at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, most of that time as Senior Policy Advisor in the Corporate Affairs Division, which included government, public, internal and community affairs. He has served on the health care transition teams for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and was involved in the passage of Massachusetts Health Reform and the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Curry is the past president of the Boston Branch of the NAACP (2011-2016) and has over twenty years of dedicated service to the NAACP at the city, state-area conference and national levels. He was elected to the National NAACP Board of Directors in 2014 and reelected twice in 2017 and 2020. He now serves as Chair of the National Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee and as Vice-Chair the Political Action and Legislation Committee.

Currently, Mr. Curry serves on both the City of Boston’s COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force and the Massachusetts Public Health Association’s Task Force on Coronavirus & Equity, while also coordinating the community health center response to the pandemic, in conjunction with the state Attorney General’s Office, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, various municipalities, and other partners.

He also serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, and formerly on the Board of Trustees for Roxbury Community College, as well as in the role of Adjunct Professor for the Suffolk University Moakley Center for Public Management. He has received numerous local and national awards for leadership and advocacy.

Mr. Curry earned a Bachelor’s of Arts from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from New England law Boston, and graduated from the inaugural class of the Executive Leadership Council’s Pipeline to Leadership Program. ###