Ben Craft Named VP of Community Engagement for CHP

SPRINGFIELD — The Center for Human Development (CHD) has named Ben Craft its vice president of Community Engagement.

In the newly restructured position, Craft has been charged with deepening the nonprofit human services agency’s relationships in the communities it serves in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In the role, he will oversee strategic communications, marketing and development as well as community, government, and provider relations.

Craft brings a strong background in communications, engagement and advocacy to CHD, coupled with almost 10 years of experience in healthcare and public policy at a critical point in CHD’s growth and development.

 “We are excited to have Ben join us at a time when CHD is not only expanding our network of human services into more communities, but also at a time when we are playing a critical and growing role in the new model of care management, and connecting people with complex needs to more preventive and supportive services,” said Jim Goodwin, president and CEO of CHD. 

“Stronger relationships with our partners, collaborators, funders, and the community at large are absolutely critical to helping us further our mission of positively changing lives through our network of human services, and Ben’s technical grasp of the critical issues of healthcare along with his skills as a relationship builder, communicator, and connector will supercharge this effort,” Goodwin explained.

Craft, who grew up in East Longmeadow, started his career in New York at The Wall Street Journal and worked at the United Nations as a communications officer before returning home to Western Mass. in 2008 to work for Baystate Health, most recently as the Senior Director of Government and Public Affairs. He is a 1996 graduate of UMass Amherst.