Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Adam Chapdelaine, MMA Executive Director and CEO
Adam Chapdelaine became the MMA’s executive director and CEO on Sept. 9, 2023.
Chapdelaine, an MMA past president who served for a decade as town manager in Arlington, was appointed on July 28 by the MMA Board of Directors to succeed Geoff Beckwith, who led the organization for 31 years.
Chapdelaine had been engaged with the MMA’s work for more than a decade, having served on the MMA Fiscal Policy Committee and the MMA Board of Directors, as president of the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association in 2018, and as MMA president in 2021. He also served as co-chair of the MMA’s DEI Advisory Committee.
A Fall River native, Chapdelaine earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from UMass Dartmouth, and spent more than five years working for then-Sen. Joan Menard, starting in 2002.
Chapdelaine’s time on Beacon Hill inspired his municipal career. When he called municipal managers to provide local aid figures, several tried to recruit him into local government, and he started attending Suffolk University at night to earn his master’s degree in business administration.
After leaving the State House, Chapdelaine worked as Fall River’s elections director, community services director, and finally city administrator. Starting in 2010, he served two years as Arlington’s deputy town manager before becoming town manager.
Chapdelaine has served as president of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and on the Metro Mayors’ Coalition, the Commonwealth’s Group Insurance Commission, and the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.
Immediately prior becoming executive director of the MMA, he was deputy director of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission.
Chapdelaine lives in Dedham with his wife, Rita, and their two children, Pearl and Roger, who attend the Dedham Public Schools. He serves as a representative Town Meeting member and on the Capital Expenditures Committee.