RICARDO FRANCO
Director of Family Support Services, Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE)
Franco is a dynamic and impassioned leader in child welfare in Massachusetts, dedicating his career to improving the outcomes of youth in foster care awaiting adoption. As a licensed bi-lingual social worker, ordained minister, and champion of multicultural community engagement, Franco, who immigrated to the U.S. from Columbia in 2003, serves as the director of family support services for Newton-based MARE, steering all family support and faith-based initiatives.
He completed his doctoral studies at Boston University School of Theology in 2017, was a 2021 fellow of the Minority Professional Development Leadership Program through AdoptUSKids, and has developed an innovative curriculum to support adoptive parents considering parenting transracially. In addition to this work with MARE, Franco is an adjunct professor at Boston University’s School of Theology, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, and volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate for Boston CASA.
