Courtesy of Town of Killington
DEBORAH SCHWARTZ
The Town of Killington has named Deborah Schwartz as its new Town Manager, effective April 18, 2016.
Schwartz, who has an extensive background in municipal management, having served in executive leadership roles for some of the nation’s leading airports, will become the seventh town manager since the Town voted to move to a town manager form of government March 3, 1970.
As one of Vermont’s most popular four season resort towns, Killington hosts over a million visitors annually. In further developing the town’s recreation and tourism business, it is the goal of Killington’s leadership to become widely recognized as the premier resort town of the East.
A native of Indiana, Schwartz began her career in Houston, Texas, as Assistant Airport Manager of Hobby Airport. She then served as Airport Director of the Worcester, Massachusetts Regional Airport before becoming Executive Director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before accepting the position of Town Manager of Killington, Schwartz served as Director of Aviation Services for MorphoTrustUSA, a primary supplier of security background checks for airport personnel. She also provided professional advisory services to the aviation industry through her private consulting firm, Strategic Aviation Solutions, LLC.
Schwartz described herself in her application for Town Manager as “a bridge-building, problem-solving municipal executive.” She has been directly involved in multiple successful economic development initiatives through public and civic activities in all the communities in which she has lived and worked. Her civic leadership role has been recognized by Rotary International, having been honored as a “Paul Harris Fellow.”
On her recent selection as Town Manager for Killington, Schwartz said “I’d like to thank Killington’s Select Board for this opportunity to serve the Killington community and to continue my career-long commitment to public service.” She added, “I’m very excited to be joining forces with the area’s residents and businesses in support of current initiatives, and serving as an agent for continued progress as we work together to move Killington forward.”
Schwartz is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where she received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Government. As she continued her education, Schwartz was awarded a Masters of Arts in Public Management from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, Texas, where she was elected to membership in two public service honor societies.