Rindge’s new Town Administrator is making a switch from human resources to municipal management.
Sara Gravell of Jaffrey officially took over the position on Nov. 25, signing a one-year contract with the town. It will be her first job as a town administrator, but she said her background in human resources management creates a solid foundation for her to build upon.
“This is a very exciting opportunity, and I’m excited to be a resource for them, too,” Gravell said.
“Sara has an impressive educational and work background which should relate well to the [Town Administrator] position,” wrote Rindge Select Board Chair Bob Hamilton in an email to the Ledger-Transcript on Friday. “Her major work background is in human resources with some experience in labor relations.”
The search for a new town administrator started after the Select Board voted to not renew a contract with the town’s former Town Administrator, Joe Byk, in a 2-1 vote in July.
Gravell most recently provided human resources for an ambulance company, and prior to that for a manufacturer, and said those positions crafted her communications skills and abilities to work with the town’s department heads.
Gravell has an associate’s degree from Mount Wachusett Community College, a bachelors in psychology with a minor in human resources and business management from Clemson University, and is currently completing a master’s degree in human resources and administration at Franklin Pierce University.
Gravell said learning the town structure will be her biggest challenge after changing fields, but she’s already begun to try to fill those knowledge gaps by taking courses provided by the New Hampshire Municipal Association, education she said she’ll continue as she learns the job.
Gravell said she was interested in the Town Administrator position because she was looking for more of a work-life balance and liked the community aspect of the job.
“Being part of a community was a really attractive aspect to me,” Gravell said. “I’m really eager to learn the job and be part of this community. The citizens have been very welcoming so far.”
Gravell said the change in job accompanied several other big changes in her life, including recently purchasing her first home in Jaffrey with her husband Ricky Gravell, and becoming a mother to their first child, 5-month-old Amelia.
“Sara is youthful, exuberant and very capable of taking on this new challenge,” Hamilton wrote. “She already seems to fit in well with other heads of departments and residents.”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.