New Appointments to Community Safety and Social Justice Committee and Council on Aging
Amherst Town Hall. Photo: Art Keene.
The following appointments were nominated by Town Manager Paul Bockelman and approved unanimously on the consent agenda by the Town Council on April 6, 2026. Both appointments were previously recommended by 4-0 votes with one absent by the Town Services and Outreach Committee at its April 2 meeting.
For the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC): Anna Derby of Glendale Road
For the Council on Aging (COA): Margaret Arsenault of Mill Lane.
Both Derby and Arsenault were appointed to three-year terms expiring June 30, 2029.
The Town Manager provided the following biographical profiles of the nominees.
Biographical Profiles
Anna Derby moved to Amherst with her children to begin a graduate program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the economics of education, focused on policies of school privatization. She chose Amherst because of the rich diversity of the community. She has extensive experience teaching at the high school level in New Orleans, Mozambique, and Massachusetts. She is trained in restorative and trauma-informed practices and has learned from others about systemic injustice. She hopes to hear about the work that is already being done and find ways where her particular knowledge and experience can support it.
Margaret Arsenault concluded her professional career at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as the Director of Workplace Learning and Development. In her career, she had extensive skills in facilitation, meeting management, conflict resolution, dialogue and communication training. She is eager to apply her skills to support seniors in the town and to help guide the direction of services for seniors in the town.