GREENFIELD — Erin Anhalt has been hired as the city’s new chief of staff following Keith Barnicle’s departure last week.

Barnicle, who had held the chief of staff position since January, submitted his resignation in July to pursue “new professional opportunities.” He worked his last day in the role on Friday.

In an interview Wednesday, Barnicle said that after serving first as the city’s communications director and later as chief of staff, he believes the city is in “incredibly safe hands.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the time I served in this city,” Barnicle said. “I’m excited to see what’s accomplished in Greenfield’s future.”

Anhalt, who moved around the country as a Navy spouse from 1999 until her husband retired in 2020, brings years of political experience to the table, having worked on local, state and national political campaigns and having joined the Secure Families Initiative in 2020 — a role she said she will continue to hold while serving as chief of staff. The Secure Families Initiative is a nonpartisan advocacy group made up of military spouses and loved ones.

“Erin is a tireless advocate, a bright and compassionate leader who always strives to help others,” Mayor Ginny Desorgher said in a statement. “Her enthusiasm, empathy and professional experience make her a great fit for my administration.”

Anhalt said although it might sound cliche, she got involved with politics to “make the world a better place.”

“Although I recognize that [politics are] often maligned, and sometimes for very good reason, it’s also really the best way to make the most positive change for the most people, and that’s what draws me to the political world,” Anhalt said. “On a municipal level, it’s so much more intense because you really have such a large community that you can reach out to and work with and partner with. Even just in the past couple of days, I’ve been able to talk to people in the community who have really valid concerns that I could possibly make a difference on, and that’s exciting to me.”

In her new role, Anhalt, who said she has two children with autism and moved to Greenfield partly because of Massachusetts’ standard of service for students with disabilities or neurodiverse students, cited increased autism accessibility as one of her goals while serving the city. She previously advocated for the installation of sensory tents at community-held events.

“I’ve been working with our economic development director to work on ways to make Greenfield a more autism-friendly town,” Anhalt explained. “Autism doesn’t just end with high school. Autism is a lifelong thing, neurodivergence is a lifelong thing, and I want to make sure that people who are neurodivergent can find a place in our community, that they can have a place where they can reset and still fully participate in our community events.”

As a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Anhalt said she will continue her role as chair of Secure Families Initiative’s Nuclear Nonproliferation Leadership Team, where she advocates for those exposed to harmful radiation during uranium mining or nuclear testing — occupations that she said are largely carried out on Navajo land and worked by Navajo people — to be compensated for their related health complications.

Anhalt added that in Greenfield, she hopes to work with the local business community to ensure the city can thrive economically, and support initiatives aimed at building trust between the Police Department and residents.

“Unfortunately, there is going to be another George Floyd or Freddie Gray that’s going to happen somewhere in the country, and that’s horrifying. I’m hoping that we can really work on letting the public know that we have a police chief and a police department here who actively work toward and have done a great job at making sure that type of activity wouldn’t happen here. ... They work hard to keep the community safe.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.