GREENFIELD — For Amanda Sanderson, the work the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT) does to help victims of sexual and domestic violence takes on a personal element.

Sanderson, speaking during an event at the nonprofit’s headquarters last week, explained her mother left an abusive relationship while taking care of her and her three siblings. It was her stepfather, she said, who later showed her what healthy relationships could look like.

“I am drawn to this work, in part, because of the connection I have to survivors,” Sanderson said.

Now, as NELCWIT’s new acting executive director, Sanderson said she looks forward to fostering “partnerships that advance the well-being of our communities in creative and sustainable ways.” She cited the region’s “dedicated civic engagement” and “fierce advocates across service agencies” as being local qualities she appreciates.

Sanderson’s previous work with youth and low-income populations, coupled with her experience in both urban and rural settings, led her to NELCWIT, where she started her job in May. She formerly served as an AmeriCorps state and national volunteer in Birmingham, Alabama, and became program manager of the SpeakFirst debate team there. After four years in Alabama, she moved to Boston to work for City Year, a national nonprofit focused on increasing education equity through AmeriCorps service.

Sanderson also spent three years as the impact manager for Grew Elementary School in Hyde Park, where she managed teams of AmeriCorps members and engaged in City Year’s equity, diversity and inclusion work. She earned a master’s degree in higher education administration at Boston College. While in school, she worked at the Women’s Center as a Sexual Assault Network advocate.

Many members of the NELCWIT team welcomed Sanderson with excitement during last week’s get-together, including Assistant District Attorney Sandra Staub, chief of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit; Ginger Robinson, treasurer on the NELCWIT board of directors; and Pam Brown, NELCWIT’s retired interim executive director.

“People here know she is both compassionate and passionate,” Brown said of Sanderson, adding that she will make a great leader for the organization as it continues its important work.

“I understood what a network of care can make for any person, especially for a person escaping the clutches of an abusive relationship or situation,” Sanderson said. “This work is personal; it’s structural, it’s anti-violence radical love work and it takes a community.”

Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.