Marisol Garcia, The Child Advocate
Marisol Garcia began her service as the Commonwealth’s Child Advocate on June 1, 2026.
Previously, Ms. Garcia was Deputy Director at Health Law Advocates for over a decade, where she developed and led the Mental Health Advocacy Program for Kids, a statewide legal services program that has represented thousands of families to overcome barriers to mental health care for children. Under her leadership, the program expanded from a small pilot into a statewide initiative -- improving children’s access to care, reducing reliance on emergency services, and keeping children out of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Prior to leading MHAP, Ms. Garcia directly represented children in court for more than two decades, representing children and parents in Care & Protection, Child Requiring Assistance, Delinquency, and administrative hearings related to disability benefits and special education services. She was also appointed as a Guardian ad litem by the Juvenile Court.
Ms. Garcia has co-authored numerous articles and has presented on children’s mental health issues statewide and nationally. She is co-chair of the American Bar Association Children’s Rights Litigation Committee and was selected as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Top Women of Law in 2022 and Latino Excellence on the Hill Award in 2025. She served as an elected school committee member for the Town of Westford from 2022 to 2025, and as an adjunct instructor for the Boston University School of Public Health, William James College, and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She has a Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University.
Office of the Child Advocate Organizational Structure
The OCA has three core operational divisions:
- Quality Assurance
- Policy and Implementation
- The Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma
In addition to these divisions, our Legal and Administration & Finance Teams work across these divisions to support the work of the OCA.
Office of the Child Advocate Senior Leadership Team
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Marisol Garcia | Child Advocate |
| Cristine Goldman | General Counsel |
| Spencer Gurley-Green | Chief Financial Officer |
| Christine Palladino-Downs | Senior Director, Quality Assurance Division |
| Audrey Smolkin | Executive Director, Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma |
| Melissa Threadgill | Senior Director, Policy & Implementation Division |