On Friday, 3/8/24, at Skyline College, Director of Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Office of Diversity & Equity (ODE), Dr. Maria Lorente-Foresti was inducted into the San Mateo County Women Hall of Fame. The ceremony landed on International Women’s Day and was a celebration of incredible women throughout San Mateo County.
Dr. Maria Lorente-Foresti has excelled in many different roles within San Mateo County including a psychologist, behavioral health clinic Unit Supervisor, Parent Project Program Coordinator and Director of ODE. With these different roles, Dr. Lorente-Foresti has made many impactful contributions in advancing the behavioral health & well-being of our San Mateo County community, especially for marginalized and underserved populations. For County community, she has supported the San Mateo County Pride Celebration and Sana Sana Events since inception and developed and implemented policy allowing behavioral health providers and clients to openly talk about how spirituality shapes a participant’s mental health and well-being.
Dr. Lorente-Foresti’s leadership style is a unique combination of compassion, collaboration and perseverance. She brings these qualities into her work, community and family. In her family she is a single working caregiver supporting her elder parents and her son. In her community, she participates and supports community organizing for racial equity. And in her work, she leads with love and compassion despite forces of fear, hate and racism persisting in many parts of our society. Overall, she has an energy and brightness that shows she never loses sight of humanity and a larger vision where each one of us in San Mateo County may realize a healthy and meaningful life.
Dr. Lorente-Foresti states in her acceptance speech, “I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina… during this journey my parents and my brother showed me resiliency, how to navigate challenges and the importance of community.”
As Maria describes impactful moments in her life that shape her work she states, “these experiences are intertwined with my parents instilling in me the values of compassion sacrifice hard work in addition to a deep understanding that to create change you need many hearts and many hands.”
Additionally, Dr. Lorente-Foresti has empowered staff and local community members to support and advocate for behavioral health equity and social justice for the San Mateo County community. While she advanced the wellness of employees, she also empowers employees to share their voice and shape the behavioral health system they work in and larger communities they are part of. For example, she engages her staff to engage in the unit decision making process as much as possible. She wants her staff to be empowered to shape the work of the team including strategy implementation, operations and employee engagement.
The Women Hall of Fame recipient also plays a pivotal role in advancing multi-cultural organizational development for San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, supporting Government Alliance for Racial Equity (GARE) cohort and staff training for San Mateo County Health (now expanded Countywide), serving on the County Equal Employment Opportunity Committee and leading BHRS Health Equity Initiatives for the larger community.
Once more, congratulations to Dr. Maria Lorente-Foresti for the honor she brings to Behavioral Health & Recovery Services!
Recording of the event will be shared on San Mateo County Youtube.
Watch CBS’ Coverage of the event here.
Learn more about the San Mateo County Women Hall of Fame here.
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