City Council Selects New City Manager

June 30, 2009 - Long-time Lakewood employee and current Community Resources Director Kathleen Hodgson has been named today as Lakewood's new city manager.

Hodgson has worked for Lakewood for 29 years, rising through the ranks from lifeguard through several management positions to department director. She has served as the director of Lakewood's Community Resources Department for the last nine years, overseeing more than 200 employees and eight divisions. The Family Services Division was recently added to her department as well.

She will begin serving as city manager in September.

Mayor Bob Murphy and the City Council selected Hodgson from six finalists after conducting a nationwide search for a new city manager. The selection process spanned several months and included a citizen focus group to help identify the attributes of a new city manager that would be valued by the community; a prescreening process and interviews with semifinalists by the mayor, council officers and a former council member; a multidepartmental employee interview panel; a reception and recommendation process for key community leaders and members of the City's boards and commissions; and interviews with the City's executive management team.

"Choosing Kathy as our new city manager is really a celebration of our community and a testament to the quality of our organization," Murphy said. "Kathy has been involved with Lakewood for nearly three decades. The community knows her, and she knows the community. Her ideals, principles and approach to problem-solving reflect what we value in our organization."

Her accomplishments include providing leadership to $70 million worth of construction projects including the Homestead Golf Course and the Whitlock Recreation Center. She also directed the transition of parks and facilities from Foothills Park and Recreation District to Lakewood, and she initiated swift action on a limited opportunity to acquire property without City funds to provide parkland in an older section of Lakewood.

She recently completed the senior executives program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and she has a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's degree in psychology.

"Lakewood is a great community, and I will continue my commitment to encouraging open public discussions and involvement," Hodgson said. "I'm proud to serve an organization representing innovation and integrity, and I look forward to building on the community's heritage while embracing new ideas as Lakewood's city manager."

The City Council made the decision Monday after interviewing the finalists last Saturday.