Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin

Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin is the inaugural executive director of the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health for the Connecticut General Assembly. She is a public health and public policy professional, focused on the systems that shape our health options and outcomes. Prior to her current role, she served as the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative’s executive director, where she advocated for oral health access and equity through advancements in coverage and financing, workforce development, and medical-dental integration.

Pareesa has also worked in state-level policy analysis and advocacy at Community Catalyst, in municipal policy and practices to support recovery from substance use disorders for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and in health policy research focused on financing strategies for children and youth with special health care needs on public and private insurance. She holds a master’s in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from Boston University School of Public Health.