Sigalle Reiss, Brookline’s public health director, will step down on July 1 after more than three years in the role. She will join the consulting firm BME Strategies as Director of Public Health to support local health departments across the state.
Reiss told Brookline.News that the departure was “bittersweet.”
“I joined Brookline during a challenging time, as we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, and I hope I am leaving the department in a strong position to continue its important work,” she said.
During her tenure, Reiss piloted the Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and said she is confident the department is well-positioned to move into the implementation phase to improve health outcomes for Brookline residents.
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Community fridge set to reopen with celebration on June 29
The organizers behind a community refrigerator located near 7 Station Street are planning to celebrate the reopening of the fridge with free ice cream and a fridge-painting party on June 29 at 12 pm.
The fridge was temporarily removed earlier this month due to an uptick in complaints about its cleanliness and safety.
The new smaller fridge outside of Jamie’s Brothers and Sisters Co. Cafe will be accompanied by updated multilingual material, with ridge rules and food access resources available in Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, and English.
For more details about the reopening, visit Jennifer Coolfridge’s post on Facebook.
Town hires Jack Schleifer as new Urban Forest Manager
Jack Schleifer has been named Brookline’s new Urban Forest Manager, according to a press release from Commissioner Erin Chute of the Department of Public Works. Schleifer will begin the role on July 14.
Schleifer holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of the Environment and has a background in both municipal and environmental nonprofit work. Most recently, he served as Field Operations Manager at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, where he led an urban forestry program and collaborated with local and state agencies on tree health and maintenance across the Emerald Necklace park system.
In Brookline, Schleifer will focus on stewarding the town’s tree canopy and improving climate resiliency through public engagement and partnerships with the community.
He is filling a role left by Tom Brady, who departed for the city of Watertown in 2023 after more than 20 years on the job in Brookline.