Chesterfield appoints new Council on Aging director

CHESTERFIELD — For the fourth time in 16 months, Chesterfield has a new Council on Aging director after Jessica Humphries was appointed to the position by the Select Board at its April 21 meeting.

After being vetted by the town’s interview committee and COA Board, Select Board member Trish Colson-Montgomery said that Humphries showed herself to be an “energetic” candidate throughout the process and vouched for her to be appointed.

“The board was very excited, they thought she really fits the position,” said Colson-Montgomery, adding that all three references spoke highly of Humphries. “They [the COA Board] gave a unanimous recommendation that we appoint her.”

She will earn $31 an hour, and is scheduled to work 18 hours a week.

Humphries, who declined to comment until she is in the role on May 11, recently moved to Chesterfield from Pennsylvania.

She studied biology at Boston College where she graduated cum laude in 2008, followed by a master’s in social work from Temple University in 2020. Her whole career has been community-oriented jobs, according to her resume, whether working with the homeless, low-income residents or young students.

Among the 10 or so roles she has taken on, she worked for the Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, providing advocacy and representation for low-income tenants as a paralegal. In another role, Humphries interviewed Jewish children in foster care for the Jewish Family and Children’ Services (JFCS) in Phildelphia, completing monthly home visits and finalizing adoption reports.

She spent 2018 working two different jobs, also in Philadelphia. She led financial education workshops of the Urban Affairs Coalition, then worked at the University of Pennsylvania, administering literacy tests for kindergarteners and first graders.

Most recently, since May of last year, Humphries has been working remotely for Solace Health as a patient advocate, which she will continue to do alongside her new role as director, according to the Select Board.

“I am drawn to this position in part because of Chesterfield’s extraordinary community culture,” Humphries wrote in her cover letter for the position. “I have found my short time here deeply rewarding already, and I would be honored to serve my neighbors in this role.”

“She’s a good fit. I think she’ll do really well. She’s got a lot of experience,” said Colson-Montgomery.

Humphries succeeds Eileen Theroux, who has served in the role for about a year. Her last day is May 8. Other directors in recent years include Kate Reid, who stepped in for a time as an interim after Brooke Bullock’s brief stint in the position. Before Bullock, Jan Gibeau was in the role for 10 years until the fall of 2024 when she retired.