Board President shares lived experience in new video
The Impact of Lived Experience
Omar Irizarry, Board President, is deeply invested in the well-being of the communities he serves in Massachusetts. He has a longstanding commitment toward equity and belonging that he uses to guide his work on the board and also as Director of Cross Agency Initiatives at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.
In the first of a two-part video series, Irizarry explains how childhood experiences with food insecurity inform how he approaches his role as board president, including guiding the Food Bank through it strategic planning process.
“I experienced moments where I felt hunger for days, for weeks at a time. Having access to nutritious food was very difficult,” Irizarry said. “Living through that has given me a lens to really look at the Food Bank’s mission and consider what that lived experience feels like and how we can improve the way we distribute our food, how we address hunger in a very meaningful way that involves providing individuals with a sense of dignity, a sense of belonging, a sense of hope.”
Omar Irizarry, M.S., NMP, is the Director of Cross Agency Initiatives at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Omar is a mission-driven leader with over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, recognized for leading with authenticity, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to equity and community well-being. Drawing from lived experience, he brings a thoughtful and collaborative approach to building systems that support youth, families, and communities across Massachusetts. Since 2022, Irizarry has served as the Director of Cross Agency Initiatives at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), aligning policy, funding, and practice to improve access to care, promote prevention and early intervention, and advance equitable outcomes across the Commonwealth.