Page 40 - BusinessWest October 28, 2024

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Megan
Executive Director, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity
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She Helps Families Achieve Life-changing Stability, One House at a Time
Photo by Focus Ashely Photos
“Her work has empowered many women and families of marginalized racial identities to achieve
the first step
in building generational wealth through affordable home ownership.
By Joseph Bednar
the circumstances that saw her arrive at Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity in 2013 and take the reins as executive director a year
later.
And she’s grateful for that timing — and the experiences
that led her to be successful in that role — because of what the organization’s work has meant to so many low-income families achieving home ownership for the first time.
That experience began with a master’s degree in regional planning at UMass Amherst, with a concentration in housing and social issues. “My concentration was part of an overall desire to make a difference in the community and realizing how important housing was in that journey,” she said.
After working at the Center for EcoTechnology (CET) in
planning, and building permits. In 2014, she shepherded the first Women Build project for two net-zero-energy homes — the chapter’s first — in Easthampton.
Those efforts, among others, caught the attention of Habitat’s board of directors, and when the organization’s executive director stepped down in 2014, McDonough won the job over 30 other applicants.
“It was clear to me after a couple weeks as interim ED that Megan would make a great ED,” said Peter Jessop, then board president. “It was her attention to detail and her can-do attitude that most impressed me during my short tenure at the board helm.”
McDonough told BusinessWest she was confident in her ability to lead the affiliate. “I had previous management experience and a master’s degree in planning and housing, and the board decided I was the best fit to take that leadership role.”
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“Timing is everything.”
That’s how Megan McDonough described
Northampton for seven years, she joined Pioneer Valley Habitat
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for Humanity in 2013 as an office manager and was quickly
“Stability is a word we use a lot because, when you’re a renter,
elevated to the post of Operations manager, working with volunteer build teams and overseeing applications for zoning,
building or the house, you’ve got to move,” she said. “Even if you’ve been a perfect tenant, you can still experience housing
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A decade later, that decision has been proven correct many times over, and McDonough has carved out a ... well, impactful
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ce helping families achieve stability in life. That’s a word she used a few times during this interview, and for good reason.
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