for
the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts
Nov.
17, 2000
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Nelson named director of by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff
 hen
Martha Nelson begins her new duties as director of Community Relations
early next month, it will be a homecoming of sorts.The daughter of English professor John Nelson, she grew up in Amherst and can trace her lineage back to Nehemiah Strong, one of the early settlers of the town. She went on to study at Smith College, worked for two years at UMass and more recently at the University of Connecticut's main campus in Storrs. "I feel like I'm steeped in college town culture," said Nelson. In her new role, Nelson will serve as the principal liaison with the campus's host communities, Amherst and Hadley and maintain positive relations with local officials, business associations and community organizations. She succeeds Patricia Vinchesi, who stepped down last summer after being named South Hadley's town administrator. "This position is key to engaging with our local communities, and I am confidant that Martha will do an excellent job in moving our Community Relations program forward," said Royster Hedgepeth, vice chancellor for University Advancement. Since 1998, Nelson has headed the Rainbow Center, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender educational resource center at UConn's campus in Storrs. In that role, she supervises a staff of 10 and has responsibility for strategic planning, event programming, budgeting, fund-raising, crisis response, advocacy and outreach. Prior to her appointment, Nelson served for two years at assistant director of the Stonewall Center here. From 1990 to 1996, she also opened and managed two gift and book stores in Northampton and Provincetown. She previously worked as a telemarketing manager in Northampton and an outreach worker with a Holyoke-based support program for mentally ill adults. Along the way, she also became a trained mediator. Nelson sees her varied experience as a plus for her new post. "I think a lot of my work over the past decade has been focused in one way or another on community building," she said. "Much of that work involved creating understanding between people." "I am thrilled that Martha has agreed to become our director of Community Relations," said Richard Conner, assistant vice chancellor for Government and Community Relations. "She has extensive experience dealing with difficult issues, building coalitions and problem solving. With her many long-standing connections to UMass and surrounding communities, she knows the area and its issues well. Martha has all the skills and the temperament to continue to build effective partnerships with local communities, and she has a reputation for getting things done. She has all of the right qualities to lead our Community Relations program." Eva Schiffer, a member of the Amherst Selectboard who served on the Community Relations director search committee, called Nelson an "excellent choice" for the post. "I can't stress too much how important the town feels this post is," said Schiffer. "Relations are really good right now," she added, crediting Chancellor David Scott, other administrators and Nelson's predecessor with fostering a sense of mutual trust and understanding. Noting Nelson's roots, Schiffer said, "She's come home. I hope she'll stay awhile." |
