Strategic PartnershipsNew Jersey – Thomas Freeman has been appointed as the new city manager for the city of Hackensack. Freeman brings over 40 years of public service experience to the role and previously served as interim city manager following the passing of Ted Ehrenburg in 2021.
Michigan – Jeff Meilbeck has been selected as the new executive director for the Bay Area Transportation Authority, effective Oct. 1. Meilbeck brings more than 25 years of experience in transit and municipal leadership to the role and steps into the role following the departure of Kelly Dunham.
Washington D.C. – Costin Corneanu has been appointed as executive vice president, and chief financial officer for Amtrak. Prior to joining Amtrak, Corneanu spent eight years at Spirit Airlines and four years at U.S. Airways.
Michigan – Kyle Rairigh has been appointed as the new superintendent of Pickford Public Schools. Rairigh brings over 20 years of experience in education to the role and earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts Education and Physical Education from Northern Michigan University.
Maryland – Sandy Hertz has been named the new deputy director of the Maryland Environmental Service. Hertz brings over 30 years of experience in transforming environmental service to the role and most recently served as the director of the Office of Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation for the Maryland Department of Transportation.
California – Ken Plunkett has been appointed as the chief of police for the city of Escondido. Plunkett brings more than 27 years of experience in law enforcement to the role and began his public safety career as a fire explorer before transitioning to policing with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Florida – Michael Festa has been named the new director of the Parks and Recreation department for the city of Doral. Festa brings 13 years of experience in municipal parks and recreation, and most recently served as deputy director of Parks and Community Engagement for the city of Hialeah.
Illinois – Darius White has been appointed as the new city administrator for the city of Urbana. White most recently served as the senior regional economic development manager for the East Central Region at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity.
California – Ronda Perez has been appointed as the new city manager for the city of Malibu, effective Aug. 25. Perez brings nearly 20 years of experience in the public sector to the role and prior to joining Malibu, Perez served as city manager of Palmdale and assistant city manager of Lancaster.
Arizona – Purab Adabala has been appointed as the new transportation director for the city of Glendale. Adabala has been with the city for 18 years and first joined the department as a transportation planner in 2007.
Colorado – Alex Kovacs has been appointed as the new director of Aviation for the Colorado Springs Airport. Kovacs has served as the acting director of Aviation since February and previously served as assistant director of Aviation.
Florida – Joel Hassman Samuels has been appointed new executive vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Miami, effective Aug. 11. Samuels brings over 20 years of experience in higher education to the role and currently serves as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina.
