FLAGSTAFF — After screening 29 applications and conducting 11 telephone interviews the City of Flagstaff has narrowed the candidates for the Public Works Division Director position to five finalists:
Andrew Bertelsen is currently the Public Works Director for Coconino County. Bertelsen has also work for the County as the Interim Assistant County Manager and the Planning and Budget Manager. He also worked as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Sedona. Bertelsen graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and Political Science. He earned a Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. He also has a Graduate Certificate in Public Management from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Stewart Fearon has served for more than three years as the Director of Public Works for the United States Army. Prior to that, he worked as a Liaison Officer with Installation Management Command, taught Military Science at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and worked as a Regional Engineer for the United States Army. Fearon graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He graduated from National University with a Master of Business Administration, and from the Army War College he earned an MSS in Strategic Studies.
Glenn Kephart currently works as the Public Works Director for the City of Coral Gables, Florida. Prior to that, he worked as the Public Works Director for the City of Tempe, Arizona, and has worked as District Traffic Engineer and Pavement Management Engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Kephart earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania, and a Master in Public Administration degree from Western International University in Phoenix, Arizona.
Lesley Riddle is the Public Works Department Director for the City of Hyattsville in Hyattsville, Maryland. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Director of Public Works for the City of Greenbelt in Greenbelt, Maryland. Riddle graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Colorado Technical University, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and holds a Master of Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont.
Rebecca Sayers currently holds the position of Public Works Section Director for the City of Flagstaff. She is serving the City of Flagstaff as the Interim Recreation Director. She has also directed Facilities Maintenance, and the Sustainability and Environmental Management Sections, was the Sustainability and Environmental Manager, Environmental Program Manager, and an Environmental Supervisor for the City of Flagstaff. Sayers graduated from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, and earned a Master of Science in Forestry from Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, Arizona.
All five candidates will be part of a 2-day interview process which includes interviews and presentations with public works employees, City leadership staff and City division directors.