Meet Mia
Mia Alvarado, Executive Director

Mia Alvarado has been the Executive Director of Roxbury Youthworks, Inc. since 2008. She is responsible for a $3.5 M annual budget, a 40+ member staff and manages all of the agency’s contracts with the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Youth Services and the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance.

A Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Mia has worked extensively in the field of child welfare and juvenile justice. Prior to her current position, Mia was a Special Assistant to the DCF Commissioner’s Office and Chief of Staff to former DSS Commissioner Harry Spence.

During her career, Mia has implemented many new programs and practices. She developed the first specialized foster homes in Boston in the late 1980’s, brought Family Group Conferencing to DSS in 2001 and developed the Teaming Initiative in 2005. Mia has been a leader and champion for commercially sexually exploited youth since 2000. Mia was selected to represent the child welfare field as a member of Technical Working Group for the Salvation Army’s Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Community Intervention Project funded by OJJDP in 2007. Mia is one of the founding members of the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) coalition.She assisted in the drafting of the Safe Harbor provisions of the Massachusetts Human Trafficking Bill and participated in the Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking Implementation Committee for this aspect of the law.

Mia was appointed to the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee in 2006 and served until 2008. The Governor appointed her to be a Committee member for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in 2006 where she continues to serve as Secretary. She is a founding member and former Board Chair of Mothers for Justice and Equality. Mia is an active member of the Community Advisory Board for the Center for Crime, Race and Justice at Northeastern University, serves as Board member of The Children’s League of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers. Mia has a Master’s of Social Work from Salem State College and a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from Wheelock College.