Linda Desmond
Linda has called Northampton home for most of her life, except for her ten-year period living and working in Dublin, Ireland. While in Ireland, she was CEO of Care Local, a small agency that provided direct service to the elderly, and at Age Action Ireland where impactful programs she developed continue to this day. From an academic perspective, she received an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters of Social Work with a Graduate Certification in Gerontology from the University of Connecticut. For five years, she was an elected Northampton city councilor representing ward five in Florence and Bay State. Her life's work has been focused on working for older people in program development, community organizing, advocacy, coalition building, intergenerational programing, and grant writing. In Northampton, she was the Vice President of Community Investment for the United Way, and for eighteen years she was the Director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, a program funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. After returning from Ireland, she came out of retirement for two years to lead the Northampton Senior Center.