Kerry Thomson announces appointments to Bloomington leadership positions
Kerry Thomson, Bloomington's next mayor, is beginning to build her administrative team. A few departments will continue to be led by holdovers from the John Hamilton administration, while others will see new leadership in 2024.
New department leaders under Kerry Thomson
Deputy mayor: Thomson has named Gretchen Knapp, currently head of operations and marketing at The Mill, to the deputy mayor role, which will oversee daily operations at City Hall. Knapp is a graduate of Kalamazoo College and earned a master's degree from Indiana University.
City controller: Jessica McClellan announced she will resign as Monroe County treasurer to serve as Bloomington's chief financial officer. McClellan was first elected treasurer in 2016 and is leaving office one year before her second term is set to expire.
Deputy city controller: Thomson has recruited Kurt Zorn, an IU economist, professor and public finance expert to serve as deputy city controller on an interim basis. Zorn is a member of the city's Economic Development Commission and also serves on the the Indiana Finance Authority. He is a past chair of the Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners.
Human resources: Sharmaine Pechac will direct the city's human resources department. Pechac is founder of GreyPoint Consulting and a senior certified professional by the Society for Human Resource Management. She earned a doctorate from the University of Toledo.
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Continuing in their current roles
Community and Family Resources: Thomson announced Beverly Calendar-Anderson, who earlier this year announced her intention to retire, will continue as director of the department on an interim basis. Calendar-Anderson has held the position since 2014 and previously served as the city's Safe and Civil City director.
City engineer: Andrew Cibor will stay on as city engineer, a department he has led since it was created in 2021. A graduate of Northwestern University, he previously served as the city's transportation and traffic engineer in the Planning and Transportation Department.
Fire chief: Jason Moore will continue to lead the city's fire department, a role he has held since 2016. He earned two master's degrees, one from Columbia Southern University and another from Strayer University.
Information and technology services: Rick Dietz retains his job as the head of the city's information and technology services department, a position he has held since 2004.
Parks and recreation: Tim Street will continue as the city's director of parks and recreation, a role he took over earlier this year after Paula McDevitt retired. Street previously served as the department's operations and development director.
Police chief: Mike Diekhoff will continue to lead the city's police force. Diekhoff has served the Bloomington Police Department since 1987 and has been chief since 2008.
Public works: Thomson will retain Adam Wason as the director of the public works department, a role he has held since 2016. Wason also has served as deputy mayor, communications director and worked in both the economic development and utilities departments.
Returning to public service under Kerry Thomson
Corporation counsel: Margie Rice, who led the city's legal department under former Mayor Mark Kruzan, will return to city service. Rice earned her law degree from IU's Maurer School of Law and has been in both private practice and public service throughout her 25-year career.
City of Bloomington Utilities: John Langley, a retired deputy director of CBU, will return to city service on an interim basis. Langley previously held roles as deputy mayor, personnel director and housing code enforcement officer. He retired in 2019.
Economic and Sustainable Development: Jane Kupersmith, currently executive director of CDFI Friendly Bloomington, will head the city's Department of Economic and Sustainable Development. Kupersmith is co-founder of Hopscotch Coffee and previously co-owned Rainbow Bakery. She served as assistant director of small business development for the city from 2020 to 2022.
Leadership roles yet to be filled
Thomson has yet to announced who will lead the Planning, Housing and Neighborhood Development, Community and Family Resources and Utilities departments on a permanent basis. Thomson said in a press release she intends to make additional announcements later this month.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: New department heads announced by Bloomington Mayor-elect Thomson
