Tara Parrish
Pioneer Valley Project (PVP) Executive Director

Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Tara now lives in Springfield, Massachusetts where she serves as the Executive Director of Pioneer Valley Project.  As a community organizer since 1997, Tara’s work has created systemic changes in both cities and rural communities across the country.

Three of Tara’s recent accomplishments include:

• Leading the first successful sanctuary campaign in Massachusetts during the Trump administration

• Organizing with Americans displaced by Hurricane Maria in Springfield-area hotels, winning multiple national FEMA extensions and a $1 million allocation from Massachusetts Governor Baker to offer families adequate resources to move into permanent housing

• Organizing with impacted residents to fight for police reforms in the Springfield Police Department with oversight from the U.S. Department of Justice, resulting in the first consent decree for a local police department in the Biden administration

Tara has been recognized for her activism and leadership by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, and the Association of Young Political Leaders. Tara has a B.A. in Sociology from Western Washington University and a M.Ed. from Louisiana State University.