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Northern Essex Welcomes New MassHire Executive Director

Submitted by on March 17, 2023 – 2:25 pm

Haverhill and Lawrence, MA (March 17, 2023)– After an extensive search, Northern Essex Community College is proud to welcome James Henderson as the new Executive Director of the MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Center.

james, wearing blue button down shirt and plaid vest, smiles at the camera

James Henderson is the new Executive Director for the MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Center.

The center, with locations in Haverhill and Lawrence, provides employment and training services for youth, unemployed and under-employed adults, and laid-off workers, as well as recruitment and incumbent worker training for local companies. There are more than two dozen MassHire centers throughout the state. Northern Essex began managing the MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Center in 2017.

Henderson comes to MassHire from North Shore Community Action Programs in Peabody, MA, where he was the Director of Adult Education and Workforce Development. Born and raised in Northern Ohio, Henderson attended the University of Oregon as an undergraduate. He then spent the next ten years living and working overseas in Japan, Portugal, Finland, and the United Kingdom as a teacher and school director. In his most recent position, he and his team expanded an ESOL program that currently serves 145 adult immigrant students and added two career training programs partnering with Essex Tech in Danvers.

Henderson replaces Linda Rohrer, who is retiring after 40 years of workforce development, including her six years with Northern Essex and MassHire.

MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Centers serve 15 cities and towns across the region:  Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Georgetown, Merrimack, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, West Newbury, Rowley, Boxford, and Groveland. Offices are located on NECC’s Lawrence Campus at 420 C0mmon Street and in Haverhill in The Heights building at 160 Merrimack St.

The U.S. Department of Labor funds the center through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which provides resources to states and local workforce investment boards. To learn more about the center and its services, visit the webpage.