FAIRFIELD -- When she was a child living in Clinton, Natalie S. Jones passed by the Good Will-Hinckley Home for Boys & Girls almost every day.

She recalls field trips to the campus' L.C. Bates Museum, the school's "beautiful" buildings, and the many people whose lives were changed by its program.

Now, Jones is in charge of Good Will's operations.

The board of directors of Good Will-Hinckley has named her interim executive director, following the resignation effective last week of CEO Neil Colan. Jones, 41, of Skowhegan, has served as department head of Good Will's human resources for the last two years.

In an interview Monday, Jones said her duties are now "multifaceted," though the main responsibility is overseeing Good Will's day-to-day operations. But it's also much more than that, she said.

"It's a challenging and exciting time," Jones said. "I look at it as being one of a team of dedicated people -- volunteers, employees, association members -- who are part of a journey moving forward, keeping the mission of the organization in clear view."

Colan resigned after five years as CEO, just months after Good Will officials closed the school's core residential and school programs for troubled youth and laid off most of its staff. School officials cited financial hardship brought on by state policies and the economic downturn, though a report also indicated Good Will officials didn't adequately plan for the organization's financial survival.

Now, Good Will has about 25 employees and continues to operate the Glenn Stratton Learning Center for special education students.

Good Will-Hinckley is on a sprawling, 2,450-acre campus along U.S. Route 201 in the Hinckley section of Fairfield and has about 45 buildings. It serves boys and girls, often with drug or mental-health issues, who don't have a stable place to live.

It was founded in 1889 by the Rev. George Walter Hinckley and has become a model for residential education and counseling.

Since the school's closure, the board of directors has ordered a strategic plan to steer the organization's future. Larry Sterrs, CEO of Unity Foundation, is leading the planning effort.

Final recommendations based on the plan are due by April 2010, under an agreement between Good Will and the Attorney General's office allowing the organization to tap into its endowment funds to pay for $2.24 million in operational expenses.

Jones said she will help collect information for the strategic plan; she plans to be executive director at Good Will until at least September 2010, when the school's fiscal year starts.

Donald Marden, chairman of Good Will's board of directors, said Jones "has shown tremendous leadership and professionalism throughout Good Will-Hinckley's transition from a residential school to a day school that continues to serve the unique needs of at-risk students."

"We know she will keep the staff and faculty focused on their mission of helping to develop and educate students while supporting the work of the Strategic Action Committee as it defines our business and operations plan," Marden said.

Prior to working at Good Will, Jones was director of human resources at Families United, a nonprofit organization based in Machias, and was director of administration for Sycamore Networks, a technology firm based in Chelmsford, Mass.