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Tobacco Free Mass Leadership

Tobacco Free Mass reaches policy and strategy decisions through consensus. We are guided by the work of our committees.  Our Chair and Vice Chair lead our coalition and promote our coalition's positions to stakeholders and the public.

Anyone who is interested is encouraged to become involved in committees and share their perspectives and expertise!  Committee members do not need to be dues-paying members of Tobacco Free Mass, though only dues-paying members can vote.

Committees and their responsibilities:

  • Executive Committee -- the decision-making body of the Coalition for policy implementation and strategy when the full Coalition is not in session.
  • Advocacy Committee -- reviews public health policy, legislation and regulation on tobacco control measures and makes recommendations to the full Coalition on specific legislative and policy issues.

  • Membership Committee (forming in Fall 2021) -- develops and implements strategies for membership development and recruitment approved by the Coalition. The Membership Committee is charged with developing and implementing a strategy for recruiting members from groups disproportionately affected by tobacco, including groups representing people who are Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+. The Committee is further charged with developing and implementing a strategy for recruiting individual members.

  • Finance and Development Committee (forming in Fall 2021) -- maintains the Coalition’s capacity through identifying and cultivating funding sources. This committee also advises the Executive Director on routine fiscal matters and lends its expertise to ensuring the fiscal health of the Coalition. 

  • Nominations Committee -- reviews candidates for the position of Chair and Vice Chair and nominates one candidate for each of the two positions. Individuals may notify this committee if they wish to be considered for either position. Coalition members are encouraged to suggest candidates to this committee.

  • Bylaws Committee -- reviews and proposes amendments to the bylaws of the Coalition.

Working groups are convened as needed around topics of interest.  Past working groups have included the E-cigarette Working Group and the Menthol Working Group.

If you're curious about any of these committees, please contact Gwen Stewart to learn more!

Executive Committee Members

Dennis Dimitri, MD, Chair

Ellana Stinson, MD, Vice Chair

Ray Considine, Massachusetts Public Health Association

Marc Hymovitz, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Sarah McColgan, Massachusetts Health Officers Association

Kevin O'Flaherty, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

Allyson Perron, American Heart Association

Candace Savage, Massachusetts Medical Society

Cheryl Sbarra, Massachusetts Association of Health Boards

DJ Wilson, Massachusetts Municipal Association

Chair: Dennis Dmitri, MD

Dennis Dimitri, MD is Professor and Vice Chair for clinical services in the department of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.  Read more.


Vice Chair: Ellana Stinson, MD, MPH

Dr. Stinson is a board a board certified Emergency Medicine physician practicing in the Greater Boston area. She is currently the President of the New England Medical Association and works as a consultant for Barrales Public Affairs.  Read more.


Executive Director

Gwendolyn Stewart has been Tobacco Free Mass' Executive Director since 2017. She has over 20 years of experience in public health and has focused primarily on tobacco control. Gwen has worked in various facets of the movement, advising and supporting local tobacco control programs, mobilizing grassroots tobacco control efforts, and providing leadership from within the state's tobacco cessation and prevention program. With Gwen's departure in January 2022 to work on vaccine equity, the coalition has launched a search for its next director. 

Shape our perspective!

Tobacco Free Mass is convening a new Membership Committee to focus on adding more perspectives to our coalition.  We need help encouraging people from groups that are most impacted by tobacco to join us. With their perspectives and guidance, we'll be able to advocate for better, more effective policy decisions.

If you're interested in sharing your insight and/or joining this committee, please contact us.


Tobacco Free Mass

PO Box 380944

Cambridge, MA  02238


(617) 500-3449


tobaccofreema@gmail.com

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