'Time to enjoy my hard work': Exeter DPW director set to retire after 23 years

EXETER — Public Works Director Jennifer Perry is retiring in December after more than two decades of service to the town.

“It’s been 23 great years, but it’s time for me to take better care of myself – I need to come first,” said Perry. “I’m at that point in my life where I really want to make sure that I keep enough time to enjoy my hard work (while) I still have the energy to do good things – I think this is just a good time to do that.”

Perry has been the public works director since 2007. Her career with the town began in 2000 when she was hired as a town engineer.

According to Town Manager Russ Dean, Perry announced her decision to retire earlier this year. Under Perry’s leadership, the town has seen the removal of the Great Dam, and the construction of a new $53 million wastewater treatment plant, which received an excellence award by the federal Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year.

In April, the America Public Works Association named Perry one of the Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year, making her the first female public works director in New England to receive the prestigious award.

Perry said the accomplishments of public works were not hers alone.

“It’s not at all about a single person, it’s all about the team,” she said. “We’ve got a solid team of employees here that are dedicated to our service, and they work really hard.”

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However, she says, “there’s still a lot more work that needs to continue to improve water quality” and it’s important to have “a new fresh energy” to come in and take the lead.

From Madbury to Portsmouth to Exeter

Perry graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in microbiology in 1984. Shortly after, she began working at the Madbury Water Treatment Plant, testing water quality and bacterial tests on the drinking water for the City of Portsmouth.

Her five years of experience gave her the skills and expertise to be a part of a research project at UNH’s Surface Water Treatment Plant, all while receiving a full scholarship to obtain her master’s in engineering.

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Throughout the next 10 years, Perry worked as a consultant, working mostly on municipal water and wastewater projects before landing a job as the town engineer for Exeter in 2000.

“I was doing inspection work on a project in Exeter and one of the (town) employees knew that the engineering technician at the time was leaving,” she recalled. “(The town) came to me a few times and essentially recruited me.”

Perry said she applied and ultimately got the job.

“(This career) wasn’t necessarily what I had envisioned or planned, it was very fortuitous,” said Perry. “I’ve enjoyed my career. I don’t think I could have foreseen becoming a director, but I’ve worked really hard and enjoy the work."

Perry said she was grateful for the opportunity to work with a "progressive" town like Exeter.

“The town of Exeter has been an excellent employer,” she said. “It’s a great community that is progressive enough that they want to accomplish the things that need to be done and as an engineer, which I am at heart, that means a lot.”

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Breaking down the glass ceiling

Working in a male-dominated industry has proven to be a challenge for some, but Perry said she doesn't look at her job that way.

“This is a challenging job for anybody,” she said. “I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what gender you are – it’s a challenging role and it’s really important that you give your all and that you continually learn.”

However, Perry believes that there should be more women in the industry.

“Women are a major part of the workforce – they’re 50% of the workforce in general, but that’s not the case for public works,” she said. “We need to do more to welcome women into the public works industry at all levels.”

Some of the efforts, she said, should include introducing students to the industry at an early age. She believes there are a lot of students that are interested in the environment, and educating them on what public works does is key.

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Perry will be ‘hard to replace’

Dean said Perry is “a great asset to the town” and that she is going to be “hard to replace.”

Selectmen Niko Papakonstantis said Perry’s skills, experience and prominent record of success “are the foundation of an outstanding and remarkable legacy.”

“We will miss Jennifer tremendously and are appreciative of her steady leadership throughout her tenure in Exeter,” said Papakonstantis. “We wish her the best of happiness and health in her retirement.”

Dean said they have already started advertising to find a replacement for Perry.

So far, the posting hasn’t had much response, but he expects more applicants with time, as well as the help from Municipal Resources, Inc., an agency that helps municipalities with recruitment.

Perry said she doesn’t have any plans in her post-retirement. One thing she knows for sure, is that she will be “taking a huge breath,” she joked.

Her advice for the next public works director: “Take your time before you start making radical changes because (the department) is like a ship, you don’t turn it on a dime…anticipate how the changes will swing…and do the best to hire the best people.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter NH DPW director Jennifer Perry set to retire after 23 years