WESTFORD CENTER — Kristen Las officially exits her role as Westford Town Manager on Sept. 30, ending a three year tenure.
During the Select Board’s most recent meeting on Sept. 22, Las announced that it would be her final meeting and thanked the other board members for their partnership and support, reflecting on her tenure as town manager.
“I would like to announce that tonight is my last meeting here with the board,” Las said during the meeting. “I want to thank the board members and members of the public and the staff for my time here in Westford. It’s been an incredibly rewarding professional development opportunity that’s just amazing for me. I made so many connections and have had so many opportunities here.”
Las announced her resignation from her role as town manager during the July 28 Select Board meeting, explaining that she made the decision after accepting a new position as the first Deputy Town Manager for the Town of Shrewsbury.
“With mixed emotions, I am formally announcing my resignation as Town Manager for the Town of Westford,” Las said during the meeting in July. “Serving as Westford’s town manager for the past three and a half years has been an incredible honor and privilege. This has been an important chapter in my professional career, and I am deeply grateful to the Select Board for the confidence you placed in me and for the opportunity to serve this community.”
Las served as Westford Town Manager since she was appointed in February of 2023, succeeding Jodi Ross, who served in the position for 14 and a half years. Las previously served the Town of Shrewsbury for over 12 years, beginning her career as town planner in 2010, before transitioning to assistant town manager in 2015.
Raised in Groton, Las said she frequently visited Westford, often to ski at Nashoba Valley Ski Area, or spend a summer day at Kimball Farm. Her move to Shrewsbury will keep her closer to her family and home in Boylston.
“You did such a great job and you continue to perform throughout the entirety of your stay with us, which might be too short, but I understand why you’re moving on,” Select Board Chair Chris Barrett said during the recent meeting. “I like to think about all the things that you’ve accomplished. It’s just an amazing list, right from things like the strategic plan, which you advocated for, to running, I think, the best town meeting that this community has ever had. You’ve taken us through some really contentious issues, budget overrides, gun this, you know. You’ve retained some really quality staff. You recruited really quality staff.”
During Las’ tenure in Westford, she led the town towards developing its first strategic plan. She also helped advance long-term capital planning, strengthen municipal communications, address key financial and operational priorities and helped move the town forward with significant community initiatives.
Las credits these accomplishments to the collective efforts of town employees, elected officials, volunteers and residents, noting that the progress reflected a shared commitment to serving the community, rather than the work of any one individual.
“You came in during, as Chris (Barrett) pointed out, during an override year — wild times — and you stepped up to the plate and remained cool and carried on,” Select Board Vice Chair Sean Kelly said during the recent meeting. “It’s kind of been trial by fire for you. I think it’s fascinating. I think the thing that I admire most about you is that you’re willing to put the right people in the right spots and not take credit for the work that other people do. And I think that that’s a sign of a great leader because we have wonderful people working at Town Hall and doing great things, and you’re the first to point it out and to point out who’s doing it.”
Assistant Town Manager Mike Edwards will now take over Las’ role and serve as interim town manager from Oct. 1 until the Select Board’s town manager search committee appoints a successor.
The search committee is a 13-member panel established during the Sept. 8 Select Board meeting, with the goal of making recommendations to the Select Board for a new town manager.
While the search committee was originally intended to consist of seven residents at large, along with representatives from the Select Board, School Committee and Finance Committee, it was increased to 13 members by the Select Board following an unusually strong response from residents interested in serving.
Members include Elizabeth Sawyer from the Select Board, Suneet Chadha from the Finance Committee, Tom LaFlamme from School Committee and ten other residents with experience in town management, executive leadership, executive consulting, capital planning, nursing or real estate development. These residents were Jared Broberg, Daniel Cannon, Nancy Cook, Wendy Gloyd, Angela Harkness, Scott Hazelton, James Miller, Andrea Peraner-Sweet, Lindsay Richard and Diane Wood.
“Not only has she been a good boss, she’s been a wonderful mentor and a good friend,” Assistant Town Manager Mike Edwards said in the recent meeting. “I’m very sad to see her go, but I think she’s built a lot of things here that we’re gonna be able to keep on track. I think she has established a really solid vision for the town and how we want this town led and managed. I think I can speak on behalf of all the staff and just say ‘thank you.’ [Las] has done a wonderful job of setting a tone and putting us in a place to really take some big-picture visions forward and have a whole lot more planning behind it and really do some great things in Westford.”
