Missouri – Jake Buxton has been appointed director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Buxton currently serves as DNR deputy director, overseeing the department’s Division of State Parks, the Missouri Geological Survey and the Division of Administrative Support. Buxton will assume his new role effective Sept. 4.
Michigan – Karen Dempsey-Horan, Chief Administrative Officer of The Woodlands, Texas, will be the next Portage City Manager. Dempsey-Horan, who is originally from the Great Lakes region, has served The Woodlands for 28 years, starting in community relations and working her way to executive management. The search for a replacement for former City Manager Pat McGinnis began with 53 applicants.
Kansas – Majed Al-Ghafry is the next city manager for Lawrence. The city hired an executive search firm to assistant and that firm, Strategic Government Resources, brought four city manager candidates to town in May for interviews: Al-Ghafry, Joe Fivas, Michael Kovacs and Joseph Lessard.
Oregon – Denzel Maxwell is Lake Oswego’s new city manager. The city announced the appointment on Aug. 26. His starts work Oct. 5. Former City Manager Martha Bennett resigned earlier this year. Maxwell is the assistant city manager for Fort Collins, Colo., where he’s worked since 2023. Previously, he was the assistant to the city manager of Corona, Calif.
Maine – Jim Chandler, Richmond’s town manager, is temporarily leading the city’s fire department with assistance from three veteran department command staff officers at fire and rescue scenes. The 16-member department has been without a permanent chief since Stephen Caswell resigned.
Massachusetts – Ed Walsh is retiring from the Taunton Police Department. Taunton City Council members will choose between two of the department’s captains to fill the role – Daniel McCarthy and Eric Nichols – according to a civil service list published by the state.
Maryland – Nicholas Augustine will soon lead the Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MDTA). Augustine, who currently serves as the Montgomery County Police Department’s assistant chief of police was selected after what was described as “an extensive recruitment process.” His first day on the job is Oct. 2. Augustine succeeds Col. Joseph Scott, who retired this summer after a 26-year career with MDTA.
Pennsylvania – Kim William Hopper has been hired by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport board as the agency’s new leader. He has 30 years of airport management experience, including spending the last seven overseeing the Pitt Greenville Airport Authority in North Carolina. Pitt Greenville Airport Authority, had 42,318 departures in fiscal year 2024, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport had 259,490 departures last year.
