Shelly Yarnie, MPH, is a public health leader with over 25 years of experience creating equitable and racially just health systems. Currently, she is the Associate Commissioner for Food Security and Nutrition Programs at the MA Department of Transitional Assistance, where she manages the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), serving more than one million Massachusetts residents. In this role, she oversees all food security initiatives, from policy development to program implementation and evaluation.

Before this position, Shelly was the Chief of Equity and Engagement at Planned Parenthood League of MA, where she led the organization’s strategic priorities and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. She also spent over a decade at the Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH), most recently as the Division Director of Global Populations and Infectious Disease Prevention. During her time there, she focused on improving health outcomes and reducing inequities through her work with tuberculosis and refugee health programs.

A native of Worcester and a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Shelly is a strong advocate for creating and delivering equitable health programs for marginalized communities. She is actively involved in her community, serving on the Board of Trustees at AKF and as a Board Member of the Worcester County Food Bank. She is also a member of the Central MA Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and is an adjunct faculty member at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she teaches Global Public Health.