Jennifer Brown Resigns As Health Director

Jennifer Brown, Public Health Director for the Town of Amherst since November, 2021, submitted her letter of resignation on May 19, effective July 31, 2023. In her letter of resignation, Brown cites her desire to work fewer hours to create a better balance between work and family.

Brown started her work in Amherst in 2012 as the public health nurse. She took over the director’s position in the midst of the pandemic. She notes that the end of the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 seems a fitting time to move on to the “next phase of my professional career”.

Of her work in Amherst, Brown states, “I witnessed the highest level of professionalism, intelligence and kindness from so many people: my fellow town employees with expertise and collaboration, volunteers of the Board of Health and COVID vaccine clinics who demonstrated generosity and civic engagement, and Amherst residents who enriched my understanding of the many facets of community health. 

“Working during the pandemic was grueling with incivility and tragic periods, but conversely, I saw the best in people supporting one another with kindness and heart. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to work during the public health pandemic and I am proud to have been part of a community that demonstrated such a genuine commitment to the health of all people. A special thank you to Paul Bockelman for his leadership and wisdom especially during this critical time.”

Brown expressed confidence in the existing employees of the department and is sure that the Amherst Public Health Department will continue “[to] lead the way in innovative public health services, always with a health equity lens”. 

Reacting to Brown’s resignation, Town Manager Paul Bockelman wrote, “Jennifer stepped in to be the Director of Public Health for the town at a critical time as we were in the middle of a world-wide pandemic. She stabilized the department and maintained the town’s focus on addressing the disease proactively. She, along with our remarkable staff and dedicated volunteers, continued vaccination clinics which was and is the single best response to this disease. She worked with the State Department of Public Health regularly. And she initiated and obtained funding to work with the town’s Department of Public Works to test and monitor the town’s wastewater regularly for COVID-19. At the same time, Jennifer continued the Health Department’s other important roles such as managing infectious diseases in the Town, digging into the mosquito control spraying issue, and working cooperatively with staff and guests at the Craig’s Doors shelter. She is a consummate professional…always organized, prepared, and working in the best interests of the residents of the town, especially those most in need to ensure equitable access to health services. I – and all town staff – will miss working with her both professionally and as a friend. Jenn will be hard to replace.”

Bockelman said the town will initiate a search for a new director of public health, but the position has been difficult to fill for many communities. He noted, “The Public Health professionals in the country have really been tested these past few years.”