My name is Vedna Heywood and I live in South Plymouth with my husband and 8 yr old son. I have been a Registered Nurse for over 22yrs, who currently works at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in the Surgical Trauma Burn I.C.U. Prior to the ICU, I’ve worked in geriatrics, corrections and the Emergency Room. I’ve been a part of several hospital committees, as well as a recent Essence of Nursing honoree. In 2019 I helped implement one of the first “Stop the Bleed” trauma programs for students at MA public schools which was featured nationally on CBS Morning News.

I have served on several boards, which include, but aren’t limited to, the S.E. MA Division of the March of Dimes and Plymouth Area Advisory Board for the Dept of Children & Families. I am currently the appointed Chair of the Diversity Committee for the Town of Plymouth, and a state Board Director for the League of Women Voters (LWV). I was most recently appointed as a member of the LWVUS Advocacy & Litigation Committee and assisted in drafting the Social Justice Reform Resolution for National. I was also the immediate past vice-chair for the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of MA.

I was an appointed member to the Managed Care Ombudsman Committee for the state of Florida and is currently an elected School Committee Member for the Plymouth School Committee. I was recently awarded the Massachusetts School Committee, All-State Award as well as the Old Colony Memorial Person of the Year.

After the loss of 2 children during late pregnancy, I became certified in Thanatology, which is the study of death and bereavement. I co-lead a Perinatal, Infant & Toddler loss group for parents at Hope Floats in Kingston, MA, and was a Bereavement Specialist for Boston Medical Child Loss Center, often going into people’s homes after the loss of their children.

I am a daughter of a missionary and, as a teenager and young adult, I did mission work at various orphanages in the Caribbean and Central America. As a teenager, I was exposed to the importance of community service, advocacy, and social activism through church and family. I believe in the “lifting as we climb” mantra and I often mentor young women, especially those from marginalized communities, exposing them to areas of civic engagement and leadership.

Elected Office

Plymouth School District Committee Member 2018- Present
Current Committees: Policy, Negotiations, Project Lead the Way, Diversity, Strategic Planning, Community Health

Board Member

League of Women Voters Ma 2020
League of Women Voters of Plymouth (2018-present)
Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Massachusetts past immediate Vice chair
Advisory Board Hope Floats Kingston
Mass College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences MPH Advisory Board
Plymouth HEAL (2020)
Beth Israel Lahey Community Benefits Advisory Committee

Current

Advocacy and Litigation LWVUS National
Health Equity Task Force Brockton, Ma (2020)
Volunteer for Hope Floats/ Group Leader for parents of Perinatal-Early Childhood Loss (2013-Present)
League of Women Voters of MA state D.E.I Co-chair
Youth Mentor Local
Legislative Action Committee
Drawing Democracy Coalition Redistricting and Reprecinting
N.H.A.E.O.N (2018-present)

Appointments

No Place for Hate Committee for the Town of Plymouth[2012-Present] Present Chair 2020

Past Appointments

Member of the Managed Care Ombudsman Committee for the State of Florida (Governor Bush)

Initiatives

Stop the Bleed, Plymouth School District/Brigham & Women’s 4/4/19 featured Nationally on CBS Morning News

Recent Awards

Partners in Excellence Team Award 2018
Kurlat Nurse Essence Honoree for Brigham and Women’s Hospital 5/2019
Excellence in Community Service Award Mattapan Tech 6/2019
Governor’s Citation for Transformational Leadership/ Social Economic Development 6/2019
Massachusetts School Committees All State Award 11/2020
Old Colony Memorial Person of the Year 1/2021

Past Volunteer 1990-2017

Bereavement Specialist/ Contractor for Boston Medical Center
Volunteer with Cranberry Hospice in Plymouth, Ma
Member of the Young Black Women’s Society of Boston
Board Member for Southeastern Massachusetts Division of March of Dimes
Plymouth Area Board Member for the Dept of Children & Families (
Foster Care Reviewer for the Dept of Children & Families
Member of DCF Foster Care Review Practice Committee
Make a Wish Foundation
American Red Cross
American Literacy Program
Broward General Hospital Pediatric Unit
N.A.A.C.P Act-So Coordinator Broward County Youth
Lowndes County, Ga Dropout Prevention Tutor
Youth Missions in Central America for orphaned, underprivileged youth: Dominican Republic, Honduras & Guatemala
Habitat for Humanity (Hurricane Andrew)