Revere Mayor’s Chief of Staff honored as 2022 Unsung Commonwealth Heroine

This month the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women announced the 2022 Commonwealth Heroine Award honorees. The annual awards recognize women across the Commonwealth for their extraordinary contributions to their local communities in public or community service. Among this year’s honorees is Kim Hanton, a Revere resident nominated by Representative Jessica A. Giannino.

“Kim Hanton is a shining example of an unsung heroine who works tirelessly to make the City of Revere a better place for all to live, work, and visit,” said Rep. Giannino. “I was proud to nominate Kim because in addition to what is in her job description as Mayor’s Chief of Staff, she goes far above and beyond what is expected and truly cares about her community and its people.”

In addition to being the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Kim Hanton has given 34 years of leadership, guidance and vision to North Suffolk Mental Health Association’s Addictions Division while serving as the Director of Addiction Services. Kim joined NSMHA in 1988, coming from Massachusetts’s Department of Social Services, where she started her clinical career in 1982. Kim changed the course of the Addictions Division by growing the number of services and programs provided. In addition, Kim was an integral part in advancing the Division’s outreach, being involved with both the STEPRox Recovery Support Center (RSC) in Roxbury and the second RSC – Recovery on the Harbor in Orient Heights Square. Before retiring from NSMHA, Kim concurrently served as the City of Revere’s Chief of Health and Human Services and City COVID-19 Response Team leader.

Kim will be recognized and honored at a ceremony on June 22 hosted by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. The Commission is an independent state agency that was legislatively established in 1998 to support equal opportunities for women in the Commonwealth in all areas of life and to promote their advancement. To encourage attendance for family and friends, and in celebration of our heroines, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women will be streaming this celebration “Live” on their Facebook page at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.