GREENFIELD — Dawn Creighton will join Greenfield Community College as its new chief workforce development officer on Monday, helping the college integrate its liberal arts and technical education it offers to not only train students, but bolster the area’s creative economies.
Stacy Metzger, GCC’s chief communications and marketing officer, said Creighton understands the diverse needs of employers across the region, including manufacturing. She said her statewide perspective will help GCC increase its unique value.
A GCC alumna (2005), Creighton began her career as an employment specialist before becoming regional director for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), the state’s largest employer-resource group, in 2009. During her time at AIM, she served thousands of employers, uniting them around issues ranging from health care and employment law to sustainability, budgeting and hiring.
Creighton told the college she has a passion for serving employers and a wealth of local and statewide connections. Her office will be in GCC’s Downtown Center at 270 Main St.
“Nothing gives me greater pleasure than bringing people together and finding a solution — whether a CEO who can’t find staff to take on a new supply chain or a bank looking for tellers,” she said. “I take great pride in bringing people together.”
As the former board president of Dress For Success, Creighton also built Foot in the Door, a workforce readiness program dedicated to helping women develop critical skills for entering and re-entering the workforce.
“As an alumna, we are especially proud of Dawn’s professional achievements and are delighted that she wants to serve her alma mater and community this way,” GCC President Yves Salomon-Fernandez said. “She rose to the top in the search process. There is much anticipation for her to lead us to new heights.”
“This role is the pinnacle of everything I have been working on and toward,” Creighton said. “This is an exciting time to come into Franklin County — an exciting time to watch this county flourish and grow with all of the new leadership. I can’t wait to be a part of this success story.”
Creighton is poised to work collaboratively with colleagues in the business and nonprofit sectors, as well as with the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and the Greenfield Business Association.
“What an absolutely phenomenal opportunity to be a part of the system that helped shape me,” Creighton said.