Press Release  Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle to Serve as DCR Commissioner

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today the appointment of Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle as Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). She takes over for Brian Arrigo on July 21, who is departing the administration to join the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

“I’ve worked with Mayor LaChapelle for many years, and I am thrilled she is joining our administration,” said Governor Maura Healey. “DCR parks, playgrounds, and beaches are where Massachusetts residents go to have fun and relax. Our public lands also attract tourists from around the world and fuel our growing outdoor recreation economy. Mayor LaChapelle understands the connection our communities have with our DCR properties. She’ll make sure they are safe, clean and accessible to all.”

“Mayors know how to get things done,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We are so grateful to Brian Arrigo for his dedicated service to our parks these past few years, and we are excited to welcome Nicole LaChapelle to our team. I know she will hit the ground running bringing fun activities to our kids and families, maintaining our beautiful outdoor spaces, and helping us stay cool and safe at our pools and waterfronts this summer.”

“DCR has made tremendous strides in recent years under Commissioner Arrigo’s leadership – strong communication, a new approach to forestry, and important investments in facilities, particularly in environmental justice communities,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “We are excited to build on this work with Nicole LaChapelle at the helm. Mayor LaChapelle appreciates the important relationship we all have with DCR. The role is more than managing public lands – it’s about fostering that special connection with the outdoors.”

“The hardworking staff at DCR are the caretakers for our state, and I’m looking forward to joining the team,” said LaChapelle. “Our forests, lakes, and beaches are at the heart of Massachusetts. I’ve had a front row seat in Easthampton, surrounded by so many of these properties. I’m ready to get to work preserving our public lands for generations to come.”

Nicole LaChapelle has served as Mayor of Easthampton since 2018. During her time as Mayor, Easthampton leveraged record-level grant funding to promote new affordable housing, protected green spaces, and strengthened infrastructure. She partnered with the Kestrel Land Trust to launch a unique initiative to build 90 units of affordable housing and conserve the vulnerable meadows, hayfields, and forests along the Manhan River. LaChapelle also partnered with the Land Trust again to secure 23 acres for the Mt. Tom North Trailhead Park.

In 2019, she led the City’s efforts to qualify for Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grants, later leveraging those dollars to improve stormwater management, flood preparedness, and the urban tree canopy. LaChapelle helped oversee the redesign of the New City neighborhood, creating a new park, adding multi-use paths, and upgrading the sewer system. These upgrades are a part of Easthampton’s larger Green Infrastructure Plan spearheaded under Mayor LaChapelle, which envisions cleaner rivers and restored natural resources throughout the city. In 2021, she became the first mayor in the country to offer an employee benefit for EV adoption, concurrent with City’s own plans to transition the City fleet to electric vehicles. She hired Easthampton’s first Sustainability Coordinator to advance future climate preparedness and clean energy initiatives. 

Prior to her time in office, LaChapelle spent over two decades working to support the interests of disabled and marginalized students. As a certified Massachusetts School Superintendent and Special Education Administrator, she went on to serve as the Chief of Pupil Services for Holyoke Public Schools in 2015, overseeing district special education services and related compliance functions. LaChapelle also served as a local attorney focused on civil rights advocacy, especially as it pertains to education and disabilities.

“It’s been an honor to serve in the Healey-Driscoll Administration and lead DCR,” said Arrigo. “DCR staff are some of the hardest working and most passionate public servants in state government. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them, and I wish Nicole all the best in this next chapter for the agency.”

LaChapelle served on the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Unlocking Housing Production Commission, the EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee Small Community Advisory Subcommittee, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Massachusetts Local Government Advisory Committee, and as the president of the Massachusetts Municipal Mayors Association in 2024. 

A Holyoke native, LaChapelle graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in Government and earned her J.D. from Western New England School of Law.

Statements of Support

Congressman Richard Neal:

“I cannot think of an individual more deserving and better qualified to serve as the next Commissioner of DCR than Nicole LaChapelle. Whether it be her time with the Center for School Crisis Intervention and Assessment, the Holyoke Public Schools, or as Mayor of Easthampton, Nicole has truly had a renaissance career, one that has been rooted in a lifelong commitment to public service. Under her leadership, Easthampton has witnessed remarkable growth while preserving the city’s strong sense of community. She helped navigate the city through one of the must tumultuous times in the COVID-19 pandemic and has delivered stellar investments in the city’s infrastructure, housing, and business community. As Mayor of a city with a diverse landscape, she understands the important role that green spaces play in our communities. I look forward to continuing working with her as she brings her vision and leadership statewide.”

Rick Sullivan, President and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council and former EEA Secretary and DCR Commissioner:

“In the Pioneer Valley, we have a front row seat to some of Massachusetts’ most impressive natural and working lands. We know how vital it is to preserve these lands for the state’s overall health, competitiveness, and enjoyment. I am looking forward to seeing Mayor LaChapelle join the ranks of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and bring her municipal savvy and Western Mass bona fides to our state parks system.”

Mark Wamsley, Conservation Director of the Kestrel Land Trust:

“Working in Easthampton, Mayor LaChapelle was a vital partner in conserving the forests, farms, and natural landscapes that both enrich life in our communities while providing the ecological foundation necessary to sustain future generations. Our collaborations often mixed a local focus with aspirations toward an even greater good, including an innovative partnership to integrate new affordable housing with conserved community farmland and recreational open space, and securing a permanent trailhead access for the New England National Scenic Trail in Easthampton. I am thrilled that Mayor LaChapelle will now take her vision and commitment to our public lands statewide."

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