Meet Jane Maloney

Q: Jane, you are the DPW’s Communications Coordinator, which is a new, part-time role. What does it involve, and what led you to take it? 

The role involves a lot of different things, so each day is a little different. Mostly, I’m working to maintain and improve communications between the Department of Public Works and residents of Watertown, as well as with City Council and the rest of City Hall. Some of this involves continuing the work that was already being done by the DPW, and some of it is creating new systems for distributing notifications and handling resident requests.

I took the job because I had been working in the nonprofit sector, and I wanted to get a better idea of how things function at the municipal level. I thought my experience working with contractors and volunteers on habitat restoration and stewardship projects would transfer well, and so far it has!

Q: So you just finished a Masters in Sustainability at Tufts University. Exciting! What motivated you to go back to school? 

I had spent a lot of time working in the field and in more boots-on-the-ground conservation and land management work, which I loved because of the direct impact and the face-time it gave me with community members. But, I really wanted to learn more about the policy and planning work that went into conservation and sustainability. I was interested in the behind-the-scenes stuff!

I landed on Tufts Sustainability program, which is part of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, because it covers a broad range of interdisciplinary policy and planning topics, and because the program has a strong emphasis on civic action, environmental justice, and community engagement. I knew I could learn about practical land use policy topics while also exploring things like program evaluation, project management, housing development, and geographic information systems.

Q: When did you first get interested in environmental issues? 

I’ve always been interested in the environment, thanks to my parents! My mom has been practicing sustainability for as long as I can remember. We used to pick up trash on our walks to the library, and there was a big emphasis on recycling in my house because my dad is the Director of Public Works in my hometown. 

My real academic or career interest started in college, though, where I spent a lot of time outdoors as a rock climbing and hiking instructor in Vermont. I realized that people could actually make a career out of protecting and caring for open spaces, which led me to switch my major to environmental science and start looking for jobs in the environmental field.

Q: So did you work in the field before pursuing your Masters? 

I’ve had a bit of a circuitous career path over the past 8 or so years—I like to say that I’m a Jane-of-all-trades. 

During a semester off from undergrad, I worked for a local parks system leading educational programs for elementary school kids. Then, I worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club as a Trail Crew Leader during the summers of 2019 and 2020, where I planned and built trails on the Bay Circuit Trail with the help of volunteer groups. Following the summer of 2020, I worked at Trader Joe’s for a bit—which was interesting during the pandemic! Then I briefly tapped into my lab science skills and worked for a pharmaceutical company manufacturing drugs for breast cancer treatment before moving to southern Oregon for an environmental education gig. 

While I loved Oregon, I eventually took a full-time role at Sudbury Valley Trustees in Sudbury as a Land Steward. In this role I worked throughout a 36-community service area to lead volunteer groups, plan and facilitate habitat restoration projects, build partnerships, develop educational materials, monitor properties, conduct baseline surveys and collect vegetation data, create maps, and lots of other things! 

I started graduate school while working at this role when I realized I wanted to do more behind the scenes of conservation and land management.

Q: Balancing graduate school and work doesn’t sound easy.

It was definitely tough! I’ve always been a person that functions best with a lot on my plate. Luckily, my work schedule was flexible and my colleagues/supervisors were really supportive of my studies. I definitely could not have made it work without their encouragement and flexibility. The whole process was a test of my time management and prioritization skills. 

During my last semester, I left my full-time role and started my part-time position at the DPW, which allowed me to take on a couple internships with Tufts Office of Sustainability and New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. I spent many, many after work hours and weekends writing, researching, and doing homework, so I’m glad to be done with that part of graduate school!

Q: In the longer term, how would you like to see your career evolve? What’s your long term “dream job”? 

I would love to eventually move back into the conservation field, or into the community development/sustainability side of municipal work, ideally in a role that allows me to spend some time outdoors and build community partnerships. I think that personal experiences with the outdoors and green space are really important to building support for more sustainable development, land protection, habitat restoration, and climate change action. None of this work happens without partnerships and resource sharing. 

My dream job would be some kind of community programs manager or project manager for a land trust, urban green space nonprofit, or trails group. I’m particularly interested in urban/semi-urban trail systems—I love riding my bike on Massachusetts’ awesome network of rail trails! I’d love to work to protect and steward open space while getting more people outside to experience the benefits of nature, especially in areas where green space is harder to come by. 

Q: You're working in the same community where you live. Has that changed how you think about public service? 

This has been a really new and interesting experience for me, as I’ve always worked in neighborhoods that are separate from where I live. I think it gives me a unique perspective as a City employee and helps me communicate in a more empathetic way. 

Working in Watertown has given me a new appreciation for the work that goes on behind the scenes in City Hall and the Department of Public Works, and has made me realize how important public service is to making a city run! It has made me hyper-aware of all the kinds of work that goes on around the City, and has made me a little more patient because I now know what goes into every sidewalk, street tree, and pothole repair. 

I’ve also really appreciated how civically engaged Watertown citizens are. 

Q: Seeing how the local government operates … have things surprised you?  

I think the most surprising thing I’ve learned is how much goes into a City actually functioning. There are so many things you don’t even think about, like who sets up pedestrian crossings or mows the fields in parks or paints the lines on the road. I’ve learned a lot about how infrastructure like roads, water mains, and sewer lines are managed and how much long-range planning is required when working at the city scale. 

I’ve also found it very interesting how interconnected the City departments are; DPW works closely with Community Development and Planning, Public Buildings, and Recreation. Big City initiatives, like sustainability efforts and extensive road reconstruction, don’t happen in a departmental vacuum! 

In that way, it’s very similar to some of the conservation work I was doing at my last role, which often relied on partnerships between lots of different parties to get things done. I definitely have better perspectives on how difficult and time-demanding it can be and how many moving parts are involved in implementing change when that change affects 35,000 people. 

Q: What do you wish more residents knew about the work DPW does behind the scenes?

I mostly wish that people knew how small the team actually is over here at DPW! There are about 40 employees, which is a pretty lean crew to serve a City of 35,000 people. And that’s not even taking into account people who are out sick or on vacation. Everyone is constantly fielding resident requests, meeting goals and targets set by the DPW Director and City Council, and addressing emergencies as they come up. 

On top of all the things that need to get done, I’m always asking Division supervisors and crew members to be in videos and photos for communications stuff, so it’s really busy over here! 

People should also know that while there are Divisions, everyone chips in across the board to make sure things get done. People really work together as one big crew when the situation calls for it (like when there’s a snow storm) as opposed to separate departments.

Q: How do you recharge when you're not juggling classes and work?

I spend a lot of time outside! I’m a runner and a biker—I ran a half marathon in May and am training for another one now. 

I’m also a part of a biking group that explores Boston area cafes (shout out Boston Cafe Bikers!), so I go on rides with them about once a week, and I’ll be doing some longer bikepacking trips this summer. 

When I’m not doing that, I’m usually hanging out at home with my partner and my dog or reading on the couch. My other summer goal is to learn how to sew, but we’ll see how that goes! 

Q: What brought you to Watertown originally, and what made you decide to stay?

I stumbled upon Watertown when I was moving back from Oregon; I was looking for a room to rent and found a place on Facebook marketplace! I liked that it was close to Cambridge and Boston, but a little quieter and with some more green space. 

I’ve stayed because of how close it is to the river and bike paths—I love being able to bike or walk to everything I need. 

But the best part of Watertown is the people! There’s such a great mix of cultures here, and I’ve really enjoyed the character of the City and learning about different cultures from the people who live here.

Q: What do you appreciate most about living here?

If we’re talking about appreciating a physical place, then Cha Yen or Super Fusion Cuisine II! 

But in general, I appreciate how Watertown is situated in such a way that you get the best of both worlds living here. We’re close enough to Boston and Cambridge to get the benefits of a bigger city, but the neighborhoods in Watertown feel small and people have a lot of pride in them. On top of that, we have amazing green spaces and active transportation opportunities in Watertown, which I really appreciate as someone who doesn’t like to drive my car everywhere.

Q: If you could make one improvement or addition to Watertown, what would it be?

I would love to see Watertown Square come to life a bit more. I know there’s a lot of stuff in the works to make that happen, and I’m really excited to see how the area evolves over the next couple of years. Finishing the bike lane/path connection and streamlining the traffic flows in the area should really allow it to take off! It’ll be awesome when more people can access all the great stuff that Watertown Square has to offer.

From less of a planning-school perspective, I think a cool cocktail or wine bar would be a great addition to the night life here in Watertown! :)