WHATELY — The town’s newest community development administrator is bringing a versatile set of skills to the role.

Rusty Polsgrove, who was appointed by the Selectboard on June 25 and started work earlier this month, is taking the reins as Whately’s newest planner. Polsgrove brings a background in nonprofits and municipal government to the community.

“I have a strong background in grant writing, working with the community, engagement, things like that,” Polsgrove said. “I think Whately is beautiful. I love the town, I love the agricultural setting. … On top of that, there is a great opportunity for me for professional development.”

Selectboard member Fred Baron said Polsgrove will be a great asset for Whately, as it continues to try to balance growth with maintaining its rural character.

“We are very pleased that Rusty is joining us in Whately,” Baron said. “Their energy, enthusiasm and experience will be of great benefit to the town.”

Previously, Polsgrove, who has a degree in community development and civic engagement from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, worked as associate director of the Springfield nonprofit Arise for Social Justice, where they coordinated community events and collaborated with the city government on environmental justice programs.

Part of that work, Polsgrove said, was working with the city on a successful U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant application for $20 million to address pollution through a slew of green programs. That grant, though, was terminated by the Trump administration.

Other experience includes working on the state Commission on Energy Infrastructure Siting and Permitting, where Polsgrove was involved in talks on intervenor funding and bringing municipalities into the fold when clean energy developers are applying for permits.

“I believe that we have to be fully and holistically assessing development sites before developing them,” Polsgrove said.

Polsgrove said they want to take their previous experience in Springfield, which was “very hands-on with the community,” and bring that to Whately.

“My No. 1 priority is, of course, maintain the portfolio of funding and projects I’ve been given,” Polsgrove said, describing themselves as a “good listener.” “I’d love to spend a lot of time just listening to the community … to really understand what the needs and wants are of the community, and then from there, making sure I use my talents and skills to make sure those things are fully realized.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.