NORTHFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Regional School District School Committee didn’t have to look too far to find its new director of finance and operations.

The School Committee voted unanimously last week to appoint current Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent and School Committee Assistant Treasurer Taffy Bassett-Fox to the district’s top financial position. She will replace outgoing Director of Finance and Operations Jordan Burns, who accepted a job with the French International School of Philadelphia.

Bassett-Fox, 54, was the only finalist interviewed by the School Committee last week. She said in an interview Monday that she is excited to start.

“Pioneer is a great place because Jordan Burns is just leaving everything in just great shape,” she said. “It’s so cliche, but I’m lucky I get to say I love going to work there. I’m a very proud panther and I’m excited to offer my experience and keep things going.”

Following her interview with the School Committee, members said Bassett-Fox’s performance in her current role, as well as her long history of working with public school districts, will prepare her to take on a role she has never assumed before. She received recommendations from Burns, outgoing Gateway Regional School District Superintendent Kristen Smidy and Pioneer District Treasurer Camie Lamica.

“My impression of Taffy’s performance in her current role is that she’s incredibly diligent and dedicated. … I’ve been very impressed with her and I think we’ve all taken on a role that we don’t have the full scope of on entering it,” School Committee member Stephanie Arroyo said. “I think she’s incredibly capable and I like her enthusiasm for the journey of learning that this will be for her. I was very pleasantly surprised that she was the candidate.”

Bassett-Fox has a wide-ranging background in public education, beginning with her role as a paraprofessional and assistant to the vice principal at Greenfield Middle School from 1992 to 1996. After that, she was assistant director of alumni relations and full-time director of alumni relations at Northfield Mount Hermon School and Williston Northampton School.

She also served four years as the assistant to the superintendent in the Gill-Montague Regional School District and then served as accounts manager, assistant to the superintendent and assistant to the director of pupil services from 2006 to 2024 at the Hampshire Regional School District.

Bassett-Fox added that she is a “firm believer in learning,” and moving into an administrative role in public education is an opportunity to keep challenging herself to take the next step in her career.

“I’ve been in a support position and accounts payable for most of my career and I was like, ‘You know what, it’s time to move into an administrator role,’” Bassett-Fox said.

As she settles in, Bassett-Fox said she will have some overlap time with Burns to learn the ropes. On top of that, the district still has a financial overseer from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the School Committee will look to bring on a mentor, too.

Bassett-Fox will assume the director of finance and operations role on Aug. 11. She said her top priority will be “getting up to speed.”

“I’m just happy that I’ve already got the institutional knowledge — that takes a lot of learning curve from both sides, mine and the district,” Bassett-Fox said. “I think that what’s on the table is uncertainty of federal and state cuts. Unfortunately, that’s just an unknown. We’ll deal with it as it comes down the road; we have great leadership.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.