- The Governor appoints 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the governor's special advisory commission on disability policy.
- The auditor shall appoint:
- 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the developmental disabilities council.
- 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the Massachusetts office on disability, and
- 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the statewide independent living council.
- The attorney general shall appoint:
- 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers or consumer surrogates recommended by the Massachusetts home care association.
- 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers or consumer surrogates recommended by the Massachusetts council on aging and
- 1 member chosen at her discretion.
Lauren Peters, JD, Chair
Lauren Peters is the Undersecretary for Health Policy at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), the largest secretariat in the Commonwealth. Peters is responsible for overseeing key programs and policies for the Department of Public Health; the Department of Mental Health; and MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program that provides health coverage to 1.9 million low income or disabled residents. Peters also chairs the Health Information Technology (HIT) Council, the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Workforce Council, and works closely with other EOHHS boards and commissions including the Massachusetts Health Connector and the Center for Health Information and Analysis Oversight Council.
Prior to joining EOHHS, Peters served as the Associate General Counsel and Health Policy Director at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance (A&F) where she served as an advisor on healthcare finance, policy, and legal matters. Peters’ state service also includes prior roles at the Health Policy Commission and the House of Representatives.
Peters is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School where she concentrated in Health and Biomedical Law; and holds a Bachelor’s degree with honors from William Smith College.
Ann Ackil
Ann Ackil worked as a registered nurse in various clinical settings such as intensive cardiac care, medical-surgical and community health including one year of service with the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam. She worked with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division from 1996 through 2012 as an Assistant Attorney General. In 2006 Ms. Ackil was appointed to the Training Committee of the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units and participated in the development and facilitation of an intermediate level training program for investigators and attorneys from across the country. As of November 2012, Ms. Ackil retired as an AAG and is pursuing new interests and healthcare related activities. Ann graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a B.S. in nursing and later received a M.S. from Boston University in community health nursing. She received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and is admitted to practice before the Massachusetts Courts, the U.S. District Court and First Circuit Court of Appeals.
Chris Hoeh
Chris Hoeh has been a PCA consumer since May 2017. He currently serves as the advocacy representative for the Greater Boston Chapter of United Spinal. Chris has been a teacher since 1985, he was named the 2015 Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year from the National Council for the Social Studies, and the 2014 Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Southern Poverty Law Center. He is a graduate of the College of Public and Community Service at UMASS Boston and holds a Master of Education Degree from Wheelock College. Chris works with elementary students and trains aspiring teachers focusing on Social Studies, antibias, social justice, and equity. Chris is been an active participant in his Jamaica Plain community for decades. He was the founding director of the Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer Academy 13 years ago. He returned to this role a year after his spinal cord injury.
Kristen McCosh
Kristen McCosh has been a PCA Consumer and disability advocate for more than twenty-five years. She holds a BA in English and Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, and an MA in Disability Studies from the City University of New York. Kristen was appointed as the Disability Commissioner for the City of Boston by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 2010, and reappointed by mayor Martin J. Walsh in 2014. She served as Ms. Wheelchair America 2008, a national advocacy role promoting Independent Living, empowerment, and civil rights for persons with disabilities.
Cindy Purcell
Cindy Purcell has been a PCS consumer since 1979. In 1987 she was offered a position at MRC working with a primarily mobility impaired case load and has been there ever since becoming a senior rehab counselor with a mixed case load. Cindy serves on the boards of the Worcester YWCA and the Center for Living and Working. She speaks and lectures regularly on disability issues at Assumption College and with each and every medical student at UMass Medical School. She has spoken numerous times at Boston University, Quinsigamond Community College and at many area public schools. Cindy has received numerous awards, including the MRC Citation for Outstanding Performance, the Massachusetts Easter Seals Personal Achievement Award, the June C. Holt Meritorious Award presented by the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Association, the Commissioner’s Outstanding Performance Award, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Community Connection Award and the Governor’s Citation for “Helping People Help Themselves”. In October 2006 she was inducted into the National Spinal Cord Injury Association’s Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame.
Karen J. Shack
Karen Shack oversees grant-funded projects that support skill gains and educational attainment for a wide range of working adult populations as part of Commonwealth Corporation’s Sector and Regional Strategies team . She currently manages the Health Care Workforce Transformation Fund initiative. Ms. Shack came to Commonwealth Corporation from the Boston Private Industry Council where she worked with local healthcare and human service employers to develop workforce strategies. She was a founding staff member at Boston Career Link (a One-Stop Career Center) where she managed job seeker services. Ms. Shack previously served as a Human Resource Generalist at a Boston-area teaching hospital. Ms. Shack holds a Master’s Degree in Education with a focus on Career Development/Counseling.
Janet Sweeney Rico
Janet Sweeney Rico is the Mom of a young woman with significant disabilities and complex medical needs receiving PCA support. She is the Assistant Dean for Graduate Nursing at Northeastern University and practices as a Nurse Practitioner. She has served as Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Turning 22 Task Force for Individuals with ID/DD and Complex Medical Needs and the Patient Centered Medical Home Council. She has also served on the Board of the ARC of Massachusetts and now serves as Chair of their Steering Committee.
Joseph M. Tringali
Joseph M. Tringali is Director of Services at the Stavros Center for Independent Living in Amherst, Massachusetts. In his role as Director, he supervises the implementation of direct service contracts and coordinates housing advocacy and housing initiatives.
Mr. Tringali has been involved in working towards transitioning individuals from institutionalization to community living both as a Peer Advocate Counselor as well an Access Housing Coordinator. As a Coordinator of Community Development he developed comprehensive consultation services for accessible environments, working with local and regional authorities to ensure access.
Mr. Tringali graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a B.S. in Communication Studies. He is a member of the Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council and has acted both as Vice-Chairman and Chairman