New Director to Oversee Expansion and Reorganization of Services

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne today announced Karin Carroll, MPH, has been hired as the City of Somerville’s Director of Health and Human Services. In addition to overseeing the ongoing work of the department, Carroll will be charged with expanding and reorganizing services to best serve the community and advance the Ballantyne administration’s focus on equity. 
Carroll is a dedicated public health advocate with nearly 30 years of experience serving communities in Massachusetts and internationally. Most recently, Carroll was the Director of Community Programs at North Shore Community Health, where she expanded multilingual outreach and engagement capacity. Carroll previously spent six years as the Director of Public Health in Gloucester, where she also led the City’s pandemic response as COVID-19 Incident Commander.  

Carroll formerly helmed the Prevention Wellness Trust Fund in Lynn, a grant-funded project that addressed social determinants of health, and she worked as Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the North Shore and Cape Ann Preparedness Coalition. Earlier in her career, she spent five years working in the Australian national health care system.

“Karin has an impressive track record in community health and municipal leadership, and I’m thrilled to welcome her to Somerville,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “She is a thoughtful, principled public servant with a deep commitment to health equity. As we continue to navigate the effects of the pandemic and work to eliminate health disparities in our community, we have a challenging road ahead, but I know that Karin is up to the task. I look forward to working with her to ensure the wellbeing of all our residents.”  

Health and Human Services is one of the largest departments in Somerville, encompassing the Council on Aging, the Office of Veterans’ Services, and SomerPromise, as well divisions that oversee disease prevention, social services, food security, substance abuse prevention, and the overall promotion of healthy behaviors. In her role as Director, Carroll will advance efforts to strengthen the City’s public health structures and develop a long-term public health services strategy.   

 “I am proud to be joining Mayor Ballantyne’s team to help advance health equity and improve the overall health outcomes for the residents of Somerville,” said Carroll. “Although we are facing many public health challenges right now, there is also an increased awareness of what needs to happen to make communities healthier for all, and I look forward to being a part of the solutions.”   

A native of Barre, Massachusetts, Carroll holds a Master of Public Health from Columbia University. She starts with the City of Somerville on Monday, June 6.