Longtime Dorchester resident Joyce Linehan, who worked as a top aide to former mayor, and neighbor, Marty Walsh, has joined the Massachusetts College of Art and Design as assistant to the president for special projects.

President Mary Grant called Linehan a “creative thinker with deep ties” to the city and state’s creative sectors who will focus on supporting the college’s 150th anniversary celebration.

MassArt, as the college is known, has 1,635 undergraduates and 115 graduate students. The college first opened in 1873 as the Massachusetts Normal Art School.

Linehan, who lives in Lower Mills, worked as chief of policy and planning under Walsh.

Before joining City Hall in 2014, she ran Ashmont Media, a public relations company. She also worked with songwriter Joe Pernice on an independent record label, was the vice president at Sub Pop records ,and managed the Lemonheads and Smithereens.

She holds degrees from UMass Boston and is the founder of the Dorchester Arts Collaborative.