NEW SALEM — The new town coordinator hit the ground running this month, starting on the job the same day as Annual Town Meeting.

Emily Hill made herself available for a meet-and-greet event in Town Hall’s lower level for a half-hour before the meeting on June 2 and got acquainted with some of the residents she now serves.

“I thought it went really well. I’m trying my very best to remember everyone’s names,” she said. “I met a good chunk of people.”

Hill, 25, was hired by the Selectboard to replace Jessica Mooring, who stepped down on May 9 after determining she was not the right person for the job she started four months prior. Selectboard Chair Susan Cloutier fulfilled some town coordinator duties in the interim.

“I’m just really glad Emily is taking over,” Cloutier said. “I don’t have to worry.”

Hill and her wife moved to western Massachusetts from Utah and Hill worked as a residence director at Hampshire College for about six months before being laid off. She explained that a residence director is essentially a supervisor of all resident assistants, the student staff members who live in the residence halls and offer help and guidance to their fellow students.

“In some ways [it’s] very similar to working in government. You’re handling a lot of wild things … and all that good stuff, and in some ways very different,” she said in her office at 19 South Main St.

Hill said she earned a degree in law and constitutional studies from Utah State University.

“I’ve always wanted to work specifically for small government. It’s really where I wanted to end up,” she said. “So far, so good. I really like the environment. I love a small town. I grew up in small towns. I’ve really liked it so far, and everyone’s been very kind and welcoming. They’ll stop whatever they’re doing to say hi to me.”

Hill explained she is now the town’s primary procurement officer and she also will be in charge of posting notices and applying for grants. She said the Selectboard “has a lot of really big ideas” and she will prioritize what she is told is most important. She also said Selectboard members want to focus on maintaining town buildings.

Cloutier said Hill’s résumé indicated she was confident and good with people.

“Although she hasn’t had municipal experience, she has an organizational style that’s appealing,” she said. “She’s like a miracle, as far as I’m concerned. I think we were looking for someone like Emily, and we didn’t know that until we found her.”

Cloutier said 20 people applied for the job.

Hill said it is difficult to break into small government but she feels it is easier to make a meaningful difference in a small town and that having a healthy work-life balance is more challenging in larger municipalities.

“And I really love having a sense of community and feeling as though I’m positively impacting a community,” she said.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.