Mayor LaFrance continues to build a strong leadership team

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced a series of staff updates from a range of municipal departments to close out her first 100 days in office and support the administration's key priorities: good government, safe streets and trails, and the opportunity to build our future.

"We have built a high-caliber team of new and familiar faces, with a focus on delivering the best public service possible for our community," Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said. "On Day 99 of our time in office, we are happy to recognize a group of people who have committed to a shared vision of a functional and responsible government."

Chief Administrative Officer Bill Falsey announced the following appointments in the departments he manages:

• Chief Fiscal Officer Philippe Brice has served the Municipality of Anchorage as the acting Information Technology Director since May 2023, after being named Deputy Director in 2021.He has worked as the Chief Financial Officer for several private-sector businesses and has a degree, and a professional background, in accounting.
• Purchasing Director Chris Hunter has been acting director since July 2024. He has been at the municipality more than nine years, serving as deputy director since 2021 after over 30 years working for ConocoPhillips Alaska.
• Information Technology Director Sioux-z Humphrey Marshall returns to her2018-2021role, when she rapidly adapted the city for pandemic remote work, and successfully migrated the organization off of the mainframe systems.
• Internal Auditor Alden Thern has been serving as Chief Fiscal Officer since May 2023. He wasMunicipal Projects Director from 2019-2023 and Deputy Municipal Manager from 2015-2019.

"Local government is a team sport, and the mayor has assembled an impressive roster," Chief Administrative Officer Bill Falsey stated. "This is a list of experienced and highly competent individuals, who will deliver great results for the community."

And Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson made the following announcements for the departments she supports:

• Planning Department Director Mélissa Babb is a land-use planner and licensed landscape architect with site design and project management experience across Alaska. Her expertise extends from drafting ordinances, easements, and deeds for land acquisition to collaborating closely on processes and standards for municipal departments. Babb replaces Planning Director Craig Lyon, who has announced that he will retire in2024.
• Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Conway was the Health Services Director for Deschutes County in Oregon from 2016-2022. He has worked at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and provided technical assistance for the Field Epidemiology training programs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, and Liberia. Dr. Conway's professional degrees are in preventative medicine, public health, and occupational medicine.
• Project Management & Engineering (PM&E) Director Melinda Kohlhaas is a professional civil engineer with over 30 years of experience. Kohlhaas has worked at PM&E for the last 16 years, including as its acting director, and has been with the municipality since 2005.

• Public Works Director Kent Kohlhase has worked for the municipality since 2013. He served as Private Development Manager in the Development Services Department and Engineering Design Manager for PM&E, as well as the department's director. He worked as acting Building Official and Director of Development Services as well as Municipal Manager from December 2022-July 2024.
• Health Department Director Kim Rash began her career in Section 8/Housing Choice as a receptionist before her promotion to manager, then spent over nine years assisting individuals with SNAP and Medicaid benefits at Arapahoe County Department of Human Services.

"We have built a team focused on ensuring effective service delivery and on tackling some of the big challenges facing our community," Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson stated. "We have work to do to move our community forward and we are confident that these leaders are up to the task."

These appointments are subject to Assembly Approval, according to Anchorage Municipal Charter and Anchorage Municipal Code.

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Media Contact: Amanda K. Moser
907-615-7852
​[email protected]

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