In addition to currently co-chairing the Brookline Commission for Women, Chris Chanyasulkit was also a gubernatorial appointee to both the Massachusetts Asian American Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women. In that capacity, she advocated for the needs of Asian Americans and women throughout the Commonwealth. Professionally, she serves as the Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Health at Simmons College and was most recently, the Assistant Director of the Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations. After earning her Bachelor of Arts at Boston University, with dual majors in biology and art history, she joined AmeriCorps and assisted non-profits in developing and maintaining technological competency in the administration and delivery of services. Following her service in the non-profit field, she returned to the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and completed a master’s degree in public health, concentrating in maternal and child health care. After graduating from BUSPH, Chris worked in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for over ten years. She also holds a doctoral degree in political science with a concentration in public policy from Northeastern University, where she conducted research on health disparities. Dr. Chanyasulkit has taught courses at Bentley University, Northeastern University, and Babson College in Health Disparities, American Government, International Affairs, and Globalization. She regularly guest lectures at local colleges, universities, and community groups.

She is also an elected Brookline Town Meeting Member, a Brookline Community Emergency Response Team member, a Brookline Medical Reserve Corps member, a Steering Committee member of the Brookline Asian American Family Network, member of the Community Advisory Board of the Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, a Mentor Mom for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Parent Connection Program, and serves on other state and national boards. She was also recently elected to serve as a Trustee for the Library Board of Brookline. With a proven public health background, she served as Chair of the Education Board, co-Chair of the Joint Policy Committee, and was recently elected to the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association (https://www.apha.org/about-apha/governance/apha-boards-and-councils/education-board). With a commitment to ending health disparities, Chris is also an appointed member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Regional Health Equity Council for New England. Chris lives with her husband and three young children in Brookline, Massachusetts.