Her Story
About Margarita
Margarita Navarro is an Executive Assistant supporting the Chief of Staff at UMass Memorial Health System in Worcester, Massachusetts. In this role, which she began four months ago, she directly supports Chief of Staff Victoria McCandless and serves as backup for CEO and president Dr. Eric Dixon. With 15 years of experience in executive support across the health industry, Navarro previously spent nearly 11 years at the medical device company Carl Store Zendescopes. She started there as an assistant to the operations manager and was promoted three years later to Senior Executive Assistant of the VP, where she managed global operations, arranged travel and agendas for executives, handled presentations, employee relations events, vendor contracts, and coordinated annual trips to company headquarters in Germany. Navarro is also a co-author of an upcoming book focused on women empowering women and women in leadership, scheduled for release around October or November with an event in Times Square. She is a board member of Casa Borinken, a member of the Latin American Business Organization, and the League of Women Voters Worcester chapter. Additionally, she serves on the committee to bring back the Puerto Rican Festival in Worcester after more than 30 years. Navarro values loyalty, responsibility, and commitment to a mission, principles she learned from her parents who owned a bodega in Boston and served their community.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Margarita
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Advocating for women starts at an early age. I have been through obstacles that would have stopped me if I were weak. We are powerful and have a service and purpose in life to make the world a better place for other women.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Loyalty, responsibility, and commitment to a mission are extremely important. I learned this from my parents who worked day and night in their bodega to serve the community and provide for us, and from my mother who is my hero and the strongest woman I've met.
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