Gladys Oyola-Lopez was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. From an early age
Gladys was taught the importance of public service and civic engagement. Her mother and
grandmother instilled in her the importance of community and political activism which shaped her
career path. Gladys attended Westfield State University and Bay Path University majoring in Leadership
and Organizational Studies with a minor in Business. During her 26 career in state and local
government, Gladys has worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts both at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst and The House of Representatives in Boston. In 2010, Gladys was appointed,
the first Latina Election Commissioner in the Commonwealth. During her tenure as Election
Commissioner she has successfully administered 30 local, state and federal elections and overseen the
local count for two decennial federal census counts.
Gladys encourages everyone to examine their lives and to find an outlet to give back. Just as many
others inspired her as a girl, she believes that it’s an important part of her job to lead by example for
young women. “This is what others did for me, whether they meant to or not. I want to be a mentor for
the cultivation of more women of color into the world of politics and civic engagement.”