After 14 years, Paula Brown will resign from the City of Ashland in May. Brown was originally hired in 1997 and resigned in 2008 to continue her service in the Active Naval Reserve. When she returned in 2017 to work part-time for the City of Ashland as a Project Manager, the Mayor was excited to offer her the job she had held previously as the Director of Public Works.
The City of Ashland has benefited from Brown’s impressive experience in the many roles she’s played in her long history of project management and engineering, both with the Navy and in the government sector.
An Ashland citizen since the 1990s, Brown has a knowledge and appreciation for the history and the journey that Ashland has taken over the years in the operations and activities of the Public Works Department. Her ability to meet challenges and issues head on and pursue important projects, programs, and improvements have made her an important part of the leadership team and community.
Her achievements over her tenure with Ashland reach all corners of the city. Paula worked diligently to accomplish important forward progress on large scale projects such as City Hall, the Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Plan, and moving the Hersey Street Rehabilitation Project to completion. She also worked closely with her staff to develop and gain approval on key programs such as the 20-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and the Temperature Trading Program.
Mayor John Stromberg shared his gratitude for Brown saying “I think I speak for everyone at the City and the entire Council when I say we will miss Paula greatly - for her expertise, her professionalism, her good will and her friendship. It has been a privilege to work with her and I personally greatly appreciate her willingness to return to the City to make a unique contribution of local knowledge, credibility, and skill that no one else could possibly have provided.”
According to City Administrator, Kelly Madding, the City will begin the process of searching for a replacement for Brown.
