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WESTFORD — The Select Board recently selected members of its new Town Manager search committee.
Members of this committee are tasked with interviewing and vetting potential candidates to succeed current Town Manager Jodi Ross, who plans to retire on Jan 3, 2023.
Ross, who began her tenure in the Town of Westford in 2008, hopes to publish a number of children’s books and a novel after her retirement.
“We could begin and go on until January 2023 and talk about all the accomplishments of Jodi over the last 14 years and all of the changes she has brought to the town,” said Select Board Chair Andrea Peraner-Sweet in a June 28 meeting.
Select Board selects search committee
The Select Board received 22 applications for the five vacant positions on the committee.
“Let me say to the 22 people, thank you very much for applying,” Select Board chair Andrea Peraner-Sweet said in an Aug. 9 meeting.
She continued, “we very much appreciate it. Clearly all of you take a tremendous interest in the managing and governance in our town and we are very grateful to all of you for submitting your applications.”
The committee will consist of nine members – two members of the Select Board, one member of the School Committee, one member of the Financial Committee and five residents-at-large. The committee will receive assistance from an executive search firm, which is responsible for helping to recruit candidates.
- Chris Barrett currently serves as the chair of the Pedestrian Safety Committee and vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. He is also a member of the Capital Planning Committee and Community Preservation Committee.
- Haining Bao previously worked as Vice Principal and Principal of Chelmsford Chinese Language School between 1998 and 2000. Bao also serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
- Joan Bennett is the chair of the Personnel Committee for the Town of Westford.
- Noel Almeida is a Director of Solution Management at Merkle, Inc.
- Robert Waskiewicz is currently works with Brookstone Financial as well as other private and public firms.
- Andrea Peraner-Sweet is the current chair of the Westford Select Board.
Two alternates will be available if a voting member is unavailable.
- Nancy Cook is the vice president of Concord Oil and coordinates fundraising efforts for Westford Remembers.
- Diane Wood is a resident with management experience.
The School Committee and Financial Committee have not chosen their members at the time of reporting.
The committee plans to host interviews for potential candidates in November.
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