March 5, 2025 - BOSTON - The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) honored Faustina Cuevas, the City of Lynn’s Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with the Mayor Theodore Mann Regional Leadership Award at the agency’s Winter Council meeting on Wednesday.

MAPC is the regional planning agency serving 101 cities and towns in Greater Boston. The Mann award is given annually by MAPC in memory of Newton’s longest-serving mayor, Theodore “Teddy” Mann, and recognizes a municipal leader from Greater Boston whose commitment to regional collaboration best exemplifies Mayor Mann’s legacy.

Cuevas, who also serves as a senior advisor to Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, was appointed the City of Lynn’s first DEI officer in 2021, which granted her the ability to elevate the cultural wealth of her hometown. This past fall, Faustina’s peers elected her as chair of the statewide Mass. Municipal DEI Coalition due to her ongoing commitment to DEI at the local and state level. She has worked closely with MAPC for many years on the Racial Equity Advancement & Collaborative Hub (REACH) training and peer learning initiative.

“Faustina is a gifted leader in Lynn, is deeply committed to equity and justice, and consistently centers community and marginalized groups,” said MAPC Executive Director Marc Draisen. “She joins a distinguished list of Mann Award recipients and undoubtedly deserves the recognition for her impactful regional work.”

At the Winter Council meeting, Mayor Nicholson spoke to Cuevas, “With your incredible vision, energy, compassion, and effectiveness, I continue to learn so much from you and am honored to be able to work with you, Faustina… On behalf of the City of Lynn, and everybody who knows you and has the privilege of working with you, congratulations.”

Cuevas has over a decade of diversity, equity, and inclusion experience in multiple sectors. She has significant experience in higher education institutions, most recently having worked at Northeastern University, where she was the assistant director of the Social Justice Resource Center. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Cuevas resides in Lynn with her 5-year-old son, who she considers her inspiration for championing equity and justice.