May 5, 2025

Northampton, MA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE by the Committee to Elect Anat Weisenfreund

ANAT WEISENFREUND ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE, WARD 2

Anat Weisenfreund, who currently serves as the appointed School Committee member for Ward 2, today declared her intention to run for this seat in the upcoming elections. 

Weisenfreund first moved to the Pioneer Valley in 1981 to attend college, and left in the 1990’s to attend graduate school and work in New York City. She returned to Northampton with her family in 2008, and they have lived in Ward 2 for the past eight years.

Weisenfreund has devoted her professional life to supporting children and families, and she has done so in various leadership roles in hospitals, city government and not for profit settings.  For the past 16 years Weisenfreund has directed Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Head Start and Early Learning Programs, serving about 400 of the Valley’s most vulnerable children and families every year. She oversees 130 staff and manages a $12M budget. 

During her tenure she fundamentally restructured and improved services, and Community Action’s Head Start program is recognized broadly for its innovative, trauma informed practices. Using a data driven and deeply collaborative approach, Weisenfreund significantly raised wages, implemented evidence-based approaches, and prioritized wellness for staff. These changes resulted in high quality services and educational outcomes, drastically reduced turnover, and ensured the stability of relationships throughout the program. In 2020 the National Head Start Association recognized her with the BOLD Leadership Award for her steadfast and effective leadership.

Prior to her work in Massachusetts, Weisenfreund served in clinical and leadership roles in New York City. She developed and implemented a one of its kind NICU-based intervention program for substance-exposed infants and their mothers; She worked for almost a decade for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, leading the NYC Early Intervention Program for the Borough of Brooklyn, and later served as the Assistant Commissioner for Child Care Contracts for the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, overseeing a $400 million budget.

Weisenfreund’s deep commitment to the well-being of children and families are reflected in her extensive experience serving on not-for-profit Boards –  6 years as Chair of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, and for the past 4 years, as the President of the Massachusetts Association of Infant Mental Health. Weisenfreund is an effective advocate, with strong relationships at the State and Federal levels. In 2023 she was invited by Senator Elizabeth Warren to testify in front of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy, addressing “The Federal Debt Limit and its Economic and Financial Consequences.”

Weisenfreund holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College, and a Master’s degree in Infant Development and Early Intervention from Bank Street College of Education. She has earned Endorsement® from the Alliance for Infant Mental Health as an Infant Mental Health Mentor and as a Reflective Supervisor, and is a National Facilitator of the Brazelton Touchpoints approach.

Weisenfreund says: “In January 2025 I had the honor of being appointed to the School Committee for Ward 2. As a member of the budget and properties subcommittee I have worked hard to understand the complex school and city budget issues. As we head into Northampton’s next election, it is urgent that we vote for leaders who are collaborative, trustworthy, and bold. Leaders who listen with curiosity, mine diverse points of view, and find solutions that are visionary as well as pragmatic. Leaders who are just a bit impatient to resolve our city’s most pressing challenges. I have demonstrated these qualities in all I have done, and I humbly ask for your vote.”