Marie Turley has been the executive director of the City of Boston’s Women’s Commission since her appointment by Mayor Thomas Menino in 1995. The Women’s Commission promotes equality and economic opportunity and works on policy issues impacting women and girls in the city of Boston. Ms. Turley also serves as the Mayor’s Advisor on Women’s Issues.
A graduate of the College of New Rochelle (N.Y.), she taught elementary school in the South Bronx before moving to Boston in 1976. After earning a Master of Counseling Psychology from Antioch New England, she worked as a clinician at the Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center. Since 1982 Ms. Turley has held a variety of positions in state and city government.
One of the commission’s projects is the Boston Women’s Memorial. This public art sculpture on Commonwealth Avenue Mall honors Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley--each of whom lived outside traditional social boundaries and, through her writings, left a legacy to future generations.
Ms. Turley serves on the board of directors of Patriots’ Trail Girl Scout Council, the Teen Voices/Women Express community advisory board, the Girls’ Coalition of Greater Boston Leadership Council, and the board of the National Association of Commissions for Women. She was a member of the committee that successfully worked for the establishment of the Massachusetts State Commission on the Status of Women in 1998, when Massachusetts was one of only eleven states in the nation without a statewide women’s commission. Active in local politics, Ms. Turley is presently chair of the Ward 11 Democratic Committee and a member of the Democratic State Committee. She has been elected twice as a Massachusetts delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She resides in Jamaica Plain, where she serves as president of the Friends of the Shattuck Shelter Board, vice president of the Jamaica Plain Art Center Board, and member of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council Zoning Committee.
Boston Women's Commission
The mission of the Women’s Commission is to provide technical assistance to individuals and organizations on issues concerning women and to advocate for increased attention to public policy initiatives that affect women’s equal participation, economic security, family commitments, health, and safety. The commission also provides advocacy, educational programs, and opportunities for girls to experience a full range of life options.
Boston Women’s Commission City Hall, Room 716 Boston, MA 02201
