COLRAIN — Longtime Town Administrator Kevin Fox has retired and former town staff member Diana Parsons has returned to town to fill the role.

“It’s been a pleasure to work in town government,” Fox said. “I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I will miss it and I wish everybody the best.”

“Kevin is a man of many hats and has been such a valuable asset to the town,” said Selectboard Chair Emily Thurber. “He’s been with Colrain through all its challenges and victories for over a decade. We really appreciate his time and dedication.”

Before transitioning to town government, Fox worked in the private sector for close to 30 years in various positions, including as school business administrator for the Southern Berkshire Regional School District for three years, as a staff accountant with Melanson Heath (now Marcum) who worked his way up to partner in the firm, and as a budget analyst for General Electric in Pittsfield.

Fox moved to Buckland in 1994 and went to Town Hall to volunteer for a committee because, at the time, he worked for a firm that specialized in municipal auditing and consulting.

“But the main reason was I wanted to get to know some of my neighbors because I worked out of town a lot,” Fox recalled, adding that he was willing to serve on any committee. “I just wanted to get to know people.”

There happened to be an opening on the Finance Committee and Fox was chosen. In 1999, he was elected to the Selectboard with write-in votes.

“I didn’t even vote that year,” he recalled. “I was on vacation in Maine and I came home and bought the Recorder and saw I was elected on 20 votes. I didn’t even know 20 people in Buckland.”

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Fox left Buckland town government and took the town administrator’s job in Colrain in 2012.

Among the changes and accomplishments during his tenure are that the town now has a municipally owned broadband network, which took about seven years to build and finance. The town also has its first bond rating. A significant number of condemned buildings, including Memorial Hall, have been razed in the past dozen years and a new Highway Department facility, new village center/town common and new veterans’ memorial have all become realities.

“There’s been some good stuff done,” Fox said.

After advertising for the town administrator vacancy, the Selectboard received 15 applications. Three applicants were chosen for final interviews and Diana Parsons, formerly Schindler, was offered the job by unanimous vote.

“Diana has a strong background in municipal finance and has worked for Colrain in the past as our very first town coordinator,” Thurber said. “She has some big shoes to fill but, with her experience, forward-thinking attitude and her energy, I believe she’s up for the job.”

“I’m thrilled to return to Colrain,” Parsons said. “I started my career in public administration there in 2000 and later held town administrator roles in Southampton, Orange and Hopedale.”

Most recently, Parsons served as finance director, chief procurement officer and interim chief of staff for the city of Greenfield.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and human resource management from University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as a Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official (MCPPO) certification.

“Colrain is dear to my heart. The community was so supportive and welcoming to me as their first administrator. Duane Scranton, Dick Cromack and Carl Herzig each brought very different aspects of leadership to their roles on the Selectboard at that time,” Parsons recalled. “I learned a tremendous amount about what work is needed to support a small, rural community while making authentic and invaluable connections that I’ve sustained throughout my career. Returning now, I’m delighted to build on Kevin Fox’s strong fiscal leadership and work with Colrain’s energetic and eager Selectboard to bring to fruition projects that have been hard-fought and well-planned.”

Parsons will be at the Griswold Memorial Library, 12 Main St., for a meet-and-greet on Wednesday, July 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. This event, originally planned for July 10, was postponed after the library needed to close for maintenance.