LYNNFIELD — Resident Diana DeLeo began her new role as the substance use prevention coordinator, known in short as the program director, for A Healthy Lynnfield (AHL) last week.
DeLeo took over for Peg Sallade, who held the role for six years before retiring at the end of September.
AHL, also known as the Lynnfield Substance Misuse Prevention Committee, has employed Sallade as its director for six years and DeLeo as the community outreach & engagement coordinator since April 2022.
DeLeo grew up in East Boston and moved to Lynnfield 13 years ago to raise her and her husband’s three children — a freshman in college, a freshman at Lynnfield High School, and a fourth-grader at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School — in his hometown, she said.
Despite having three children in the Lynnfield Public Schools system, DeLeo said she had only “heard of” AHL before taking a parent/caregiver survey for the organization in 2021. The survey was about parents’ and caregivers’ attitude toward substance use and mental health prevention efforts in the town.
Given the age of her oldest daughter, she said the survey “really resonated” with her. A year later, she joined the team and began her work.
Prior to working for AHL, she was most recently at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem for four years and the American Cancer Society for 14 years, which she said is truly where her love for nonprofit work began.
At the American Cancer Society, she worked community engagement, event management, volunteer management, and whatever else the jobs needed, she said. After majoring in public relations at Boston University, she began working there right out of college.
She was involved with community engagement work growing up, especially since her brother held political office in the city, and she discovered an interest in nonprofit work.
“Really, that time at the American Cancer Society was, I think, the most important piece of my whole journey in that field,” DeLeo said.
She said she is ready for the new position and Sallade taught her how to use her skills in community engagement in the substance use prevention field. She is also looking forward to AHL continuing to grow and develop its relationships in the community.
“I feel like we’re in a good spot right now to keep moving forward and evolving as time goes on,” DeLeo said. “We’re in a good spot to really help families and parents.”
She said she plans to hire someone to fill her former position and will implement evidence-based strategies to continue AHL’s work in the community.
“I just really love working in the town I live in and working with people I know,” DeLeo said.
