Town Manager Nominates 12 For Appointments To Boards, Commissions And Committees

In memos to the Town Clerk and the Town Services and Outreach Committee (TSO), dated August 29, 2023, Town Manager Paul Bockelman nominated 12 people for appointment to six boards, commissions, and committees. All nominations were endorsed unanimously (5-0) by the TSO with no discussion at its meeting on August 31, 2023, and will now be forwarded to the full Town Council for approval with a likely vote at the council’s next meeting on September 11. 

The individuals nominated were as follows.

Board Of Health
Nominated for a three-year term expiring June 30, 2026

Risha Hess, of South Orchard Drive

The charge of the Board of Health can be found here.

Community Preservation Act Committee
Nominated for one-year terms expiring June 30, 2024

Matt Cain, representing the Recreation Commission 

David Williams, representing the Housing Authority 

Robin Fordham, representing the Historical Commission 

Bockelman indicated that he is awaiting recommendations from the Conservation Commission and Planning Board for appointments to this committee.

The charge of the Community Preservation Act Committee can be found here.

Community Safety and Social Justice Committee
Nominated for three-year terms expiring June 30, 2026
Everald Henry, of Tanglewood Road

Lissette Paredes, of Southpoint Drive

Nominated for a two-year term expiring June 30, 2025
Isabella Malmqvist, Amherst College

The charge of the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee can be found here.

Human Rights Commission
Nominated for a two-year term expiring June 30, 2025

 Joy Ifill, of Stony Hill Road

Nominated for a one-year term expiring June 30, 2024

Rizwana Khan, of Amity Street

The charge of the Human Rights Commission can be found here.

Jones Library Building Committee
Nominated for a term that will continue for the length of the building process:

Finance Director – Jennifer LaFountain to replace Sean Mangano

The charge of the Jones Library Building Committee can be found here.

Recreation Commission
Nominated for three-year terms expiring June 30, 2026

Jeremy Brown, of Grantwood Drive

Chris Pariseau, of Pine Grove

The charge of the Recreation Commission can be found here.

Biographical Profiles

The Town Manager provided the following biographical profiles of the nominees. No proflies were provided for nominees to the Community Preservation Act Committee or the Jones Library Building Committee.

Board Of Health
Risha Hess said she is passionate about the town of Amherst where she grew up and returned to in 2020 with her daughter — and about public health. She has been a public health communication consultant for over twenty years, with most of her time doing work overseas with a focus on health communications and behavior change. She began her work in San Francisco on HIV and harm reduction and then did similar work in India, family planning in East Africa, and worked on malaria, tuberculosis, breastfeeding, nutrition, and maternal and child health globally. She has lived in India, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, and Ethiopia. She is currently a consultant working at the intersection of social impact and business approaches to health communication issues. She has worked specifically on maternities and abortion and now consults internationally on HIV prevention, fertility, women’s health care innovations, and the connection to climate health. Since returning to Amherst, she has served on the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, The Amherst Survival Center Board (treasurer) and The Roger Wallace Teaching Awards.

Community Safety and Social Justice Committee
Everald Henry is a practicing attorney whose practice includes representing unhoused individuals and those who are less affluent. He is concerned about the consequences for individuals who are arrested and the unintended consequences such an arrest can have on their future. He has expressed admiration for the town’s initiatives with CRESS and DEI and hopes these new departments can interrupt the path toward incarceration before the individuals become his clients. The Town Council recently appointed Mr. Henry to the Zoning Board of Appeals. He expressed the desire to also serve on the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee and believes he can maintain his commitments to both bodies. His application to the Zoning Board of Appeals is here.

Lissette Paredes grew up in Amherst and attended Amherst public schools for most of her years in school. She is currently an employee with the Massachusetts Trial Court where she works with a diverse group of individuals of various social and economic backgrounds. She is a bilingual Hispanic woman who is eager to add her experience, skills, and knowledge — and that of her family — to the committee and to assist in advocating for the programs and resources already in place. She believes her experience as a young Hispanic woman who grew up in Amherst will be an important voice on the committee.

Human Rights Commission
Joy Ifill said that as a Black resident and a parent of Black children residing in Amherst, advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and community safety is extremely important to her. Ms. Ifill is a licensed clinical social worker who has over twenty years’ experience working within historically marginalized communities providing an array of community based services from mental health services to social services. Ms. She has taken on DEI and human rights responsibilities within her employment. She has been following the initiatives in the town around DEI and community safety before she

moved to the town. She has learned much as the mother to her four children who is concerned with their well-being and safety.

Rizwana Khan is an educator who brings a passion to contribute to the community and play an active role in shaping its future. She said she is skilled in conducting research, analyzing data, and synthesizing information – all of which are needed when making informed, evidence-based decisions. She is fluent in both English and Urdu, having previously lived in Pakistan.

Recreation Commission
Jeremy Brown moved to town several years ago, and quickly became involved in the community through coaching basketball and soccer and serving as a leader in the Boy Scouts. He and his family are frequent users of the town’s recreation facilities and services and sees recreation as a gateway to greater involvement in the town, especially for members of the Black community. He expressed his interest in exploring ways to give back to the town in addition to his volunteer coaching and mentoring. Brown brings extensive experience in the hospitality industry and extensive business operations experience to the commission.

Chris Pariseau was a participant in recreation activities as a child growing up in Amherst and now, as a parent, is actively involved in sports and camp activities. He sees how the Recreation Department has played an important role in his life and can be influential in the development of young people, especially the Councilor-in-Training program and summer camps. His daughter has taken advantage of many Recreation Department programs. He identified the need to develop more starter programs in developing athletes and offer more opportunities to children in developing skills in other sports and non-sport activities. Pariseau has a successful career in sales, marketing and management in the automotive field and is an active member of the Hurricane Boosters.