The Select Board announces that the Town Administrator Screening Committee has identified three finalists in the search for Brookline’s next Town Administrator.
The three finalists are Charles Carey, who previously served in numerous roles in New York City government, Jennifer Dopazo Gilbert, who previously served as Brookline’s Town Counsel, and George Ramirez, who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Lawrence Partnership.
The Select Board will conduct public interviews with each finalist, which will include a broad range of topics and scenario-based questions Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
The finalists for the position were identified following an extensive search led by Community Paradigm Associates in close collaboration with the screening committee. As part of that effort, Community Paradigm worked closely with members of the committee to review materials submitted by the applicants, consider and deliberate over the selection of candidates for initial interviews and develop interview questions and take part in the interview process.
The search was a nationwide effort and placed an emphasis on soliciting applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and skillsets. The three individuals put forward for consideration by the Select Board were chosen from among 13 total applicants for the position, which will be vacated by outgoing Town Administrator Mel Kleckner in September.
Charles Carey
Charles Carey began serving as a Managing Consultant with Guidehouse, LLP in its State and Local Government Practice in April of this year upon relocating to the Boston area. He previously served in a variety of roles in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations.
Most positions were related to legal services, but he did serve as Acting Director from August 2021 through February 2022. He also served as Special Counsel to the NYC Health and Hospitals. Mr. Carey previously held positions in private practice with a firm in New York, as a Law Clerk in a Federal District Court and in the NYC Law Department. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center, an M.F.A from Warren Wilson College and a B. A from Columbia University.
Jennifer Dopazo Gilbert
Jennifer Dopazo Gilbert has served as a Managing Partner with the Law Office of Robert L. Allen. Prior to joining the firm in 2013, she worked for the Town of Brookline in the Office of Town Counsel for sixteen years, including eight years as Town Counsel. She’s also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brookline Community Foundation and continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the Brookline Municipal Credit Union.
Additionally, Gilbert served as an Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University in the Moakley Center graduate program for Local Government Leadership and Management. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College.
George Ramirez
Since 2021, George Ramirez has served as the Executive Director of the Lawrence Partnership, an economic development and community engagement organization in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He previously served as the Vice President of Operations of the National Aviation Academy in Concord, MassDevelopment Executive Vice President of Operations and de facto Town Administrator for the town of Devens. He’s also served as General Counsel of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. Ramirez operated his own law office from 2001-2007 and 2015-2018. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
