Four Finalists Selected in City Administrator Search

The City of Urbana is pleased to announce the selection of four finalists for the position of City Administrator at the City of Urbana. In alphabetical order, the finalists are:

• John M. Burt, Town Manager, Town of Groton, Groton, CT.
• Elizabeth A. Hannan, Finance Director, City of Urbana, Urbana, IL.
• Angel L. Jones, Senior Consultant/Project Manager, NOVAD Management Consulting.
• Carol J. Mitten, Deputy County Manager, Arlington County Government, Arlington, VA.

Biographies of each candidates are provided below.

The City of Urbana will conduct in-person interviews on March 19 and 20, 2018. The on-site selection process is designed to provide an opportunity for a broad cross-section of City staff, officials, and citizens to learn more about each candidate, as well as provide the finalists with an in-depth introduction to our community. Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin said that the finalists were selected from an outstanding field of sixty-eight candidates from across the country.

“Over the past several months, these finalists have participated in a rigorous and extensive process that assessed their professional backgrounds, qualifications, and cultural fit. Based on their performance in that process, we believe that each finalist offers a unique combination of experience, competence, and commitment key to building a firm foundation for Urbana’s future. The on-site interviews and public forum will give us a first-hand preview of each finalist’s approach to building relationships with staff and within our community,” Marlin said.

The City of Urbana will hold a candidates’ forum for the City Administrator finalists on Tuesday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. at the ILEAS Training Center, located at 1701 East Main Street in Urbana. Members of the Urbana community are strongly encouraged to attend and participate. The meeting will also be broadcast on UPTV (Comcast Channel 6) and available on the City’s website.

Candidate Biographies:

• John Burt has served in local government for over twenty years and is currently the Town Manager for Groton, Connecticut, a community of 40,000 and home to Pfizer’s research headquarters and General Dynamic’s Electric Boat, along with the Naval Submarine Base New London, and the University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus. He is responsible for a Town Operations budget of $35 million, and 260 employees. Prior to Groton, John spent over eleven years as the County Administrator for Otsego County, Michigan. He also spent nine years in Berrien County, finishing as its Director of Planning and Geographic Information Systems. Economic Development has always been a top priority. In Otsego County he served as a Board Member for the Otsego County Economic Alliance and as a Board Member for the Gaylord Downtown Development Authority. Some of his projects that John is most proud of include the establishment of a county-wide recycling program; construction of a new Airport Terminal, and the development of the 890 acre Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve. He was heavily involved in a successful multi-year streetscape project in downtown Gaylord. He is currently working in Groton to put in place a Tax Increment Financing ordinance as part of Groton’s goals of mixed-use development and higher-quality housing. He received a B.S. degree from Central Michigan University and an M.A. degree from Western Michigan University. John has been married for over 24 years with two children ages 14 and 17. He also has a love of all things science fiction. John Burt-Resume

• Elizabeth Hannan has twenty-nine years of experience in local government in the UrbanaChampaign community, with experience in both the administrative and operational aspects of local government management. Since 2014, Elizabeth has been the Finance Director for the City of Urbana. In that role, she is responsible for developing the City’s $50M+ annual budget, purchasing, financial forecasting, and other financial functions. Prior to coming to the City of Urbana, Elizabeth worked for the City of Champaign for nearly twenty-six years in a variety of positions. For ten years, she served as the City’s Budget Officer. In that role, she was responsible for development of the $100M+ annual budget and had oversight of City purchases. More recently, she served as a division manager in the Champaign Public Works Department for ten years. In that position, she was responsible for management of the parking system, fleet maintenance, and recycling programs. Elizabeth’s first government job was as an intern in the City of Cincinnati Planning Department working on development of an economic monitoring system for the City’s neighborhoods. Elizabeth received a bachelor’s degree in economics and completed her coursework for a master’s degree in economics, both at the University of Cincinnati. Elizabeth lives in Urbana with her husband, Mike. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and researching family history. Elizabeth Hannan-Resume

• Angel L. Jones has over 25 years of executive management experience in complex fullservice administrations for both the private and public sectors. She has gained a wealth of knowledge by leading and learning from best practices in different cities across the U.S. Angel has held a variety of leadership positions in fast paced organizations with teams of dedicated and professional employees which prepared her to oversee the second largest city in both Maryland and Oregon, with the largest budget consisting of over $400 million and 1,500 employees. Angel stands as a leader of innovation and progression by being a change agent within many organizations. Her leadership style is participatory and transformational as evident in her ability to build successful teams within complex and multiple work environments to enhance performance and productivity. Embracing core values of integrity, results, continuous improvement, and commitment to cultural diversity, Angel has led the way by building rapport with diverse groups of stakeholders to produce significant outcomes for organizational sustainability. Her strong financial acumen, strategic focus, and commitment to team building have enabled her to execute various approaches for effective decision making in addressing organizational objectives. Angel Jones holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Virginia Union University and she has met the standards of an International City/County Manager’s Association credentialed manager. Angel is also a graduate of several executive leadership institutes. In her free time, Angel is active with community organizations and a supportive patron of the arts. Angel Jones-Resume

• Carol Mitten lives in Washington, DC and currently works as Deputy County Manager in Arlington County, Virginia, where she oversees economic development and public works, including transportation and sustainability. Prior to joining Arlington County, she served as the Executive Director for Urban Affairs and Headquarters Consolidation at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Carol has more than 30 years of diverse management experience, much of which has been related to developing real estate strategies and negotiating complex real estate transactions. Before assuming her role at DHS, Carol served as Chief of the Land Resources Program Center for the National Capital Region at the National Park Service (NPS). Prior to NPS, she represented Amtrak as Project Manager for the redevelopment of Penn Station in New York City. Carol joined Amtrak following her tenure as Director of the Office of Property Management for the District of Columbia under Mayor Anthony Williams, managing a portfolio of more than eight million square feet. She also served on the DC Zoning Commission (1999-2007), including seven years as Chairman. It was during this time that Carol developed her passion for local government as well as her deep appreciation for the positive impact that local government can have on the lives of its citizens. Her diverse real estate experience builds on a 20-year career in the private sector as a nationally recognized commercial real estate appraiser. After attending the U.S. Naval Academy, Carol received her BA and MBA from The Ohio State University. Carol Mitten-Resume

Please refer all questions regarding the City Administrator recruitment and interview process to Human Resources Director Todd Rent at (217) 384-2451.