By Liz Nolan, Contributing Writer
Photo/submitted
Northborough – Northborough Town Hall welcomed Becca Meekins as the new Assistant Town Administrator in early October. Overall, her transition from the same role in Grafton has been smooth. She is looking forward to being able to shift her focus from supporting the town during a pandemic to fully contributing what she has to offer.
Meekins was drawn to Northborough for its phenomenal reputation and the exposure opportunities to different projects, people and experiences.
“Getting to know the staff has been great and the staff has been so welcoming,” she said. “It’s a fantastic team of dedicated employees.”
Meekins gives the staff “a lot of credit for doing things that had to be done to be sure the organization was comfortable moving forward in a pandemic.”
She is trying to acquaint herself with the stakeholders, but that is a challenge when face to face contact is limited. She has volunteered to be the required technical support host for some of the Zoom board and committee meetings. It’s an opportunity for the community to see her and for her to put faces to names.
Since community events have been cancelled, Meekins intends to immerse into the community with a face in the safest way she can.
The strengths she brings to her role from Grafton include her many professional connections with local government. The shared collaboration and ideas may help limit having to reinvent the wheel.
“I feel like having those connections are really valuable,” said Meekins. “I hear what other communities are doing and the creative ways that they have figured out to solve a problem, and can take those and adapt those to Northborough’s challenges.”
A huge part of her role in Northborough will be Human Resources management. Meekins said the people aspect of the job is the most critical part of the job. Her focus is on how to support the staff as they navigate the pandemic landscape.
“When this ends, we want people to be able to have the mental capacity to hit the gas a bit and feel like they are ready to go again,” she said.
She gives credit to the town for establishing its new Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She said that local politics is the place that can have the most long-lasting changes.
“They are ready to start talking about changes that need to be made, which is half the battle,” said Meekins. “A diverse voice is important. It’s a countrywide challenge as we have learned over the last few years.”
Meekins looks forward to contributing something meaningful to Northborough.
“I am excited to be able to see Northborough without the pandemic lens on,” she said. “When this ends, I will have a clearer picture of how to use my skills to help Northborough keep progressing forward. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I can’t wait to be able to experience Northborough for all I know it is.”
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