GREENFIELD — Clare Higgins, executive director of Community Action of Pioneer Valley, will retire this summer after nearly 14 years at the helm of the nonprofit anti-poverty agency, marking an end to a career — she previously served as Northampton’s mayor and on its City Council for about 18 years — that has enabled her to make a difference in the lives of residents up and down the Pioneer Valley for the last three-plus decades.

“I grew up in a family where public service was a value and being involved in the community was a value and I think I’ve lived up to that expectation of my parents,” said Higgins, 70, of Northampton, noting that she’s grateful for the opportunities she’s had to do just that. “I now understand why they saw that as a value; because it actually is as rewarding as anything can be to help make life better for your community, in whatever way big or small.”

Higgins said she does not have any grand plans for retirement, and hopes to enjoy a vacation and take a break.

“I’m just planning on taking a breath, but who knows, maybe I’ll get a dog,” she said. “I’ve been working for many years and feel like I need to stop working.”

For Higgins, the retirement will mark the end of decades in local government and advocating for the needs of community members. Before her time at Community Action, which serves residents in both Hampshire and Franklin counties, Higgins served as mayor of Northampton from 2000 to 2011, the second woman and the first openly lesbian woman to hold that position. She entered politics in 1990 as a commissioner for the Northampton Housing Authority, and in 1993 joined the City Council until she became mayor in 2000.

Her tenure as mayor included establishing a high bond rating for the city, closure of the Northampton landfill and creating more affordable housing in the city, a key tenet of her agenda.

“She was all about affordable housing before it was cool,” said Bill Dwight, who served as the City Council president during Higgins’ time as mayor. “The current job she’s in that she’s retiring from is in perfect sync with her philosophy.”

Dwight credited Higgins’ good sense of humor for ability to last in political office. He recalled one time during a council meeting where, after he had spoken at length about a particular topic, Higgins passed him a written note that simply read, “stop.” Dwight also said Higgins would refer to him as a “councilor in search of a period,” due to his habit of pontificating on various issues.

“People think of the dramas and behaviors you see today, but that actually isn’t new. There were similar conflicts back then,” Dwight said of city politics. “Clare navigated that quite well. She was an excellent firewall, she could absorb the heat.”

Time at Community Action

Higgins “has the ability to put big systemic problems into concrete terms and help our elected officials understand what their financially vulnerable constituents face, and what they need,” Community Action Board President Charity Day said in a statement. “She has a deep understanding of how poverty affects a community — and what is required to make change.”

Throughout Higgins’ tenure, Community Action has grown to manage 40 programs and reach as many as 28,000 people needing assistance with food security, housing, energy and more. Higgins said she was unsure if the nonprofit grew in the number of people serviced, but was proud of the growth of its programs, including the early education program, energy assistance and family resource center.

“Clare has long been my teacher and continues to set an example to me of life well-lived,” state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, said in a statement. “News of her retirement is nothing short of seismic. Her service at Community Action, as well as regionally and statewide, has been exemplary. As Clare passes the torch, I extend my heartfelt gratitude and gratitude on behalf of my entire team for her leadership and work on behalf of our constituents and the entire Commonwealth.”

While she did not become executive director until 2011, Higgins first became involved with Community Action in the 1990s, when she was hired as a preschool teacher. Higgins got her first taste of government when she became the staff representative for a day care and human services union, and then as the director of child care programs at Sojourn Inc.

She learned more about budgeting and grant writing, which she put to use as mayor. She added that her experience, the skills and her network of community partners and state and federal legislators that she developed as mayor, was useful when she joined Community Action.

“I learned in real time the impacts of public policy,” Higgins said.

Higgins plans to step down this summer after the organization’s board of directors selects a replacement. She said that while it will be the board’s task and she will have no involvement in selecting the next executive director, she hopes her successor is someone who is a flexible problem solver, able to adjust to the changing needs of the community, and understands and appreciates the nonprofit’s history and mission.

“The thing that’s great about Community Action is that we can pivot, we can move to support the community in whatever way is necessary,” Higgins said. “I think of us as the office of economic opportunity.”

Higgins hopes her successor enjoys the job just as much as she did, and that one of her favorite parts of the job was the people. She loved meeting the families Community Action serviced and working with staff, volunteers and the board of directors.

“I’ve been privileged to have this job. It was a wonderful job to have after the mayor’s job,” Higgins said. “It was a privilege to work with the people I’ve worked with and I’m very grateful for it.”

Alexander MacDougall contributed to this story. Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com