Members of the RCAC board serve three-year terms and may be reappointed to the board for a total of four consecutive terms. Harrington previously served on the board from 1994-2000.
Harrington's reappointment to the RCAC board signifies her continual pursuit of new goals and fresh endeavors. "I'm really excited to be back on the RCAC board of directors," emphasized Harrington. "RCAC is a great organization that does so much good for the rural west."
Graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology, Harrington admits she had no idea what career path she would pursue after college. Community service, however, was not a field wholly unknown to Harrington. Her father, Edwin Harrington, was superintendent of schools in the Pioneer Valley Regional School District for many years, and her mother, Catherine Harrington, worked as a guidance counselor at Westfield Vocational School until her retirement.
Finding her home in the affordable housing and development profession, Harrington stumbled upon RCAC early in her career. "I first learned about RCAC in 1980 when I began working for the Community Housing Improvement Program in Chico, Calif.," said Harrington. "Since that time I have been a client, served on the board and worked as a consultant for RCAC."
Harrington's devotion to the organization stems from a commitment and a belief in its mission. Harrington recalled an early moment in which she witnessed the remarkable effects of RCAC. "It was amazing to see what a small rural community can do when it has committed members and RCAC assistance," she said. "The community spirit was alive and well, and I felt proud to be associated with RCAC."
As a member of the class of '80, the first class to graduate with women who attended the College for four years, Harrington recalled her initial feelings when arriving on campus. "I remember when I arrived at Amherst and all of the large oil paintings in the administration offices and common areas were all men ... mostly old, white men ... I knew that it would be different for the College to have women attending," she said. "I think that given the fact that women just started attending in 1976, the school did a pretty good job of integrating women."
Harrington also added that the College made efforts to introduce female studies into courses. "A lot of the courses integrated feminist and women studies issues into other discussions as it was very topical both on and off campus at first," she said.
When asked of any memorable professors or courses, Harrington recalled that several Spanish professors at the College had helped spark her interest in the language, an interest that eventually paid off. Working in the field with lower-income citizens who in many cases did not speak English or spoke very little at all often required skills in Spanish. "Knowing Spanish [is what] got me my first job," Harrington shared.
Learning how to think, however, was the greatest lesson Harrington received while at the College. "The way that Amherst College teaches students how to think, to take in information quickly, analyze it and think about it," Harrington maintained, was instrumental in her future success at the professional level. Mastering the skills obtained at the College led Harrington to many successful endeavors. She has taken on numerous positions on boards and committees working on housing issues and development.
Harrington grew up in nearby Westfield, Mass. She now lives with her husband, Gregory Griffin, in Reno, Nev.