'Lasting impact': Town clerk retires after 40 years in public service

Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News
·2 min read
Town Clerk Queenester Nieves has retired after 40 years in public service. She was hired by the Town in August 2020 to fill the position that previously was held by Kathleen Dominguez.
Town Clerk Queenester Nieves has retired after 40 years in public service. She was hired by the Town in August 2020 to fill the position that previously was held by Kathleen Dominguez.

After a 40-year career in public service, including the last 16 months in Palm Beach, Town Clerk Queenester Nieves has stepped into retirement.

Hired in August 2020 to succeed Kathleen Dominguez, Nieves served more than a year with the town, handling duties such as official record-keeping, administrative support and election management.

Her last day was Dec. 10.

"Although Queenester’s tenure with the Town was short, the impact she made will be lasting," Deputy Town Manager Jay Boodheshwar said Thursday. "We certainly appreciate her service to this community."

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Prior to joining the town, Nieves served with a variety of communities and agencies such as North Miami Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Martin County, Boynton Beach and the South Florida Water Management District.

She was serving as deputy city clerk for the City of Boynton Beach when she was chosen from among 100 applicants to become Palm Beach’s new town clerk.

A town selection committee recommended Nieves for the post, Boodheshwar told the Daily News in September 2020.

“The breadth and depth of her experience was impressive and critical to our selection, but her intangibles sealed the deal for a unanimous vote of the panel,” he said.

A Valdosta, Georgia, native, Nieves, who could not be reached for comment, earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix in 2009, and a master of business administration in 2011 from Herzing University in Milwaukee.

Taking over for Nieves in an acting capacity is Deputy Town Clerk Pat Gayle-Gordon, with Deputy Town Clerk Kelly Churney and administrative assistant Antonette Fabrizi working closely with her to ensure the day-to-day operations of the Clerk’s Office are properly administered, Boodheshwar said.

A timetable for filling the vacancy has not been finalized, he added.

Until then, he said, "We are extremely confident in the abilities of Pat, Kelly, and Antonette in the interim."

Jodie Wagner is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

@JRWagner5

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach town clerk retires after 40 years in public service