ServiceNet’s Government and Community Relations Coordinator, Bill Benson, Takes Pride in Public Service
As part of ServiceNet’s Community Relations team, Bill Benson networks with various groups, agencies, and government offices, cultivating relationships with community leaders and elected officials. He also leads legislative tours of programs, plans and coordinates ServiceNet representation at community events, and more.
Bill’s current role for ServiceNet is a continuation of a long career in public service work. Before joining ServiceNet, he served as a State Representative for twelve Franklin County communities, as Commissioner of Franklin County, and as an administrator for the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).
Though Bill retired in 2012 from his role at DDS, he hasn’t slowed down since joining ServiceNet. He also serves on several boards and organizations he is very passionate about, including as president of the board of directors for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin and as a Trustee for the Greenfield Public Library where he has been very active in securing a new library for his city.
“Public service has always been something that I aspired to do,” Bill says. “I never thought of having a career that focused on making money. Never. My goal has always been helping people, and I’m proud to say my career has wholeheartedly followed that path.”
This deep commitment to public service reverberates in all Bill does and has done. As a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Bill used his educational background in Microbiology to work at a state cancer hospital. During the 1970s, when he moved to Franklin County, Bill’s desire to support community change was what led him into politics. And when he took on his position with DDS in the early 1990s, he was impressed with ServiceNet’s dedication and passion as he collaborated on several projects with the agency.
“In my role at DDS, which I worked in for 16 years, I oversaw all the residential and day services in Franklin and Hampshire County,” Bill says. “ServiceNet was an agency I paid particular attention to because what ServiceNet provided was so important. This comprehensive level of residential care, a new paradigm at the time, was about creating clinically oriented solutions that treated a person holistically. And we saw great success with it.”
It felt like a natural progression when Bill retired from DDS and came on board to work part-time with ServiceNet.
“Joining ServiceNet, I knew I was getting involved with a solid agency that I could feel good about,” Bill says. “The people are fantastic to work with, and there is a real commitment to doing good and doing it well. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this organization.”
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