Valencia Maponya

Valencia Maponya serves as Director of Health and Human Services for the City of East Orange in New Jersey, a role she has held since 2003. In this position, she provides strategic leadership in public health to the community and advises the mayor on health initiatives for the city's approximately 70,000 residents. Her career spans about 30 years in healthcare management and public health, including prior roles at University Hospital and the New Jersey Department of Health, as well as early experience with the government of Jamaica during its health sector transformation. She holds an undergraduate degree in public health and a graduate degree in business, which together inform her approach to health administration. As a leader, she describes herself as primarily democratic and empowering, emphasizing team input and the synthesis of diverse perspectives to achieve strong healthcare outcomes. Maponya attributes her success to her faith, family, and professional network, operating according to the FIRSE principles of being faith-led, acting with integrity, pursuing excellence, showing respect, and committing to equity. She encourages young women, particularly Black and Brown women, to enter the field armed with academic credentials, find mentors, and seize opportunities to influence positive change in public health.