When Irma Avalos took her seat as president of North Shore Women Connect (NSWC) earlier this year, she did so as more than just a new leader for the regional networking organization. She stepped into the role as its first Latina president — a milestone that carries symbolic weight in a community where immigrant voices have long shaped the fabric of daily life.
Avalos is the chief executive officer of Precise Management and Residence, a Lynn-based firm, and brings a background rooted in both the business and civic life of the North Shore. Her election to the NSWC presidency reflects a broader shift that has been gradually taking hold in Lynn and surrounding communities: the growing visibility of Latina and immigrant professionals in leadership positions that were once occupied almost exclusively by those from more established and homogeneous backgrounds.
Lynn has long been one of the most diverse cities in Massachusetts. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city of roughly 104,000 residents is home to a significant and growing Latino population, alongside communities with roots in Central America, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and elsewhere. The city has been designated a Gateway City by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — a recognition given to midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies but whose residents often face barriers to educational attainment and economic mobility.
Organizations like North Shore Women Connect have become vital connective tissue in this environment. By providing networking opportunities, professional development, and a platform for business owners and executives across the North Shore region, NSWC helps bridge the gap between communities that might otherwise operate in parallel rather than together. Avalos’s leadership brings those communities closer still.
Her rise also coincides with a wave of civic engagement in Lynn more broadly. In January 2026, Mayor Jared Nicholson was inaugurated alongside members of the City Council and School Committee, setting the stage for what city leaders hope will be a period of sustained investment in infrastructure, education, and community services. Ward 7 Councilor Jordan Avery, newly elected, was celebrated at a gathering in November that underscored the energy of a city that increasingly sees itself as a place of rising possibility rather than one defined by past struggles.
In the Lynn Public Schools system, advocates have long pushed for leadership that reflects the demographics of the student body — a majority of whom come from households where English is not the primary language. Programs like the Coordinated Family and Community Engagement initiative have tried to close the gap between schools and the families they serve, and figures like Ivanna Solano, who has been described by local media as an advocate for underserved women in Lynn’s immigrant community, have done grassroots work to amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard.
For Avalos, the NSWC presidency is an opportunity to continue that work on a regional scale. Her first meeting was held at Mangia Restaurant in Danvers, and the agenda — whatever it covered that evening — was framed by something larger: the simple, significant fact that the organization’s direction was now being shaped by someone whose story looks like the story of a rapidly changing North Shore.
