Jullieanne Doherty, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, is stepping down and made way for Alexandra Valdez to fill that role.
Doherty has left the role to take another position with the City.
Doherty, who served as neighborhood coordinator for six years, wrote a farewell message in a City newsletter, saying that she has “learned a tremendous amount about the importance of advocacy and diversity which is a core strength of our Jamaica Plain neighborhood.”
Born in the Dominican Republic, Valdez moved to the United States at the age of nine. She is the first bilingual coordinator in this role.
Valdez has worked previously for Jamaica Plain City Councilor Matt O’Malley as the Latino liaison to JP, and for the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, where she led programs for Latinos across the nation.
Most recently, Valdez worked as a public information officer for the Suffolk County Sheriff Department, where she worked closely with the Jamaica Plain community, among other neighborhoods.
“Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood full of culture and amazing small business,” Valdez wrote in the newsletter. “I am excited to serve as liaison to the Jamaica Plain community while working with our residents to provide access to programs and initiatives, and to facilitate delivery of the City services to improve quality of life.”
Valdez has a degree from Fitchburg State University with a degree in communications and political science.