A Life of Public Service—At Suffolk and Beyond
Suffolk University honors the life of the late Marie A. “Sandy” Matava, MPA ’81, former Director of the Moakley Center for Public Management and faculty member in Sawyer Business School’s Public Service and Healthcare Administration. A motivated public servant and humanitarian, Sandy improved access to services for people facing illness, those living with disability, and at-risk youth throughout her career in government. She then went on to teach others to do the same in her 31 years as a Suffolk professor and administrator.
She was a generous donor to Suffolk since 1985 and along with her lifetime partner, William L. “Bill” Brouillard, JD '75, established SAM's Fund for Public Service in 2014 “to encourage and to recognize the importance of serving in the public and nonprofit sectors.” Among her many generous acts was donating real estate to continue to build SAM’s Fund. In fact, just weeks before her passing, she and Bill received the good news that the real estate designated for SAM’s Fund had sold. Named after Sandy, SAM’s Fund for Public Service provides awards to Suffolk alumni who work in public service, and to Suffolk faculty teaching courses on the topic of social responsibility.
Sandy’s passion and real-world experience made her a popular and practical instructor. In 1975, several years before the term “glass ceiling” was coined, Sandy served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. From there, Sandy shifted to the Department of Social Services—now known as the Department of Children and Families— where she filled the role of Deputy Commissioner while studying for her Master’s in Public A at Suffolk. She then served as Commissioner of the Department until 1991.
After over a decade in government, Sandy returned to Suffolk’s public administration program. As Director of the Moakley Center, she established lasting partnerships between Suffolk and community organizations such as the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan Medical School. Sandy also taught in the Sawyer Business School and served as a wise, generous, and funny mentor to the many students and faculty members who came to her seeking advice.
“Sandy brought a very pragmatic, strategic approach to every discussion,” said Jim Spink, MPA ’97, who first met Sandy when he applied to Suffolk’s MPA program in disability studies—the first such program in the country. “She was very adept at cutting through the complexity of a situation…She could see it from all perspectives and get right to what matters.” Spink, currently the CEO of Autism Care Partners, relates that Sandy was gregarious, opinionated, and nurturing. “Sandy would make you feel comfortable as she mapped out the future for you,” making connections for students with employees in the State House. “She put her own reputation on the line over and over, all with the lens of believing in the power of government to improve the life of the individual.”
Spink continued: “It was no coincidence that the introduction to public administration course was taught by Sandy, because she would hook students just through who she was”—an energetic and determined advocate.
In 2021, amid the ravages of the Covid pandemic, Sandy received the National Public Service Award from the American Society for Public Administration.
“She saw the need for people with lived experience and a practical approach to be making public policy,” Spink said. “Suffolk served that purpose for her and that’s what she imparted.”
Sandy’s life’s work was about promoting and teaching public service and she played an important role in the growth and development of the MPA program. Those wishing to honor Sandy Matava’s life are asked to make a contribution in her memory to the MPA Excellence Fund.