Rossana Salazar is a bilingual public health and early childhood professional with deep expertise in community engagement, health equity, and culturally responsive education. She currently serves at the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) in Massachusetts, where she supports initiatives within the Healthy Families and Communities Department, including the Healthy Hampshire Program, the Early Childhood Department, and the Hampshire County Food Policy Council, where is the Language Access Coordinator. She also works closely with the Fort River Community Gardens and is coordinating and integrating a community-driven leadership program that integrates tobacco prevention initiative, food access, and public health outreach to support civic engagement and health equity.
Rossana is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her research focuses on the health and environmental challenges facing Indigenous communities in Latin America.
With more than two decades of experience, Rossana has worked across educational, healthcare, and community-based sectors, serving populations from childhood through old age. She specializes in providing direct support to Latino families, including access to early childhood education, food security, health services, and schools. She is also an experienced educator, teaching public health students how to bridge professional practice with community needs.
Rossana’s work is grounded in a bio-psycho-social approach and a commitment to social justice. She advocates for equitable systems that recognize and respond to the cultural, linguistic, and structural barriers many families face. Her work continues to build bridges between institutions and the communities they serve, always centering dignity, equity, and inclusion.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, The House of Representatives, named Rossana the recipient of the Latino Excellence Award for the 3rd Hampshire District in 2022.Representatives, named Rossana the recipient of the Latino Excellence Award for the 3rd Hampshire District in 2022.