Mayor-Elect appoints Deputy Mayor, Department heads

Bloomington Mayor-Elect Kerry Thomson announced appointments to lead the city’s departments effective January 1, 2024.  

“As we set a course to build an even better Bloomington for everyone, I am thrilled to announce a team with the experience, expertise and enthusiasm to lead us forward,” Thomson said. 
 
The appointees include returning department heads, professionals new to city government, and interim personnel who will run agencies as searches are conducted for permanent leadership. The appointments are:

• Deputy Mayor: Gretchen Knapp
  Mayor-Elect Thomson will appoint Gretchen Knapp as Deputy Mayor to oversee the daily operations of city hall. Currently the head of both operations and marketing for The Mill, Knapp has worked as an entrepreneur, executive, and freelance consultant throughout her career. She is a graduate of Kalamazoo College and earned her master’s degree from Indiana University. 

• City Controller: Jessica McClellan
  Monroe County Treasurer Jessica McClellan will join the Thomson administration as Bloomington’s chief financial officer. As City Controller, McCellan will manage the city’s finance department as well as its overall budget and accounting systems. A graduate of Indiana University, McClellan will resign as County Treasurer effective December 31, 2023, to take on the new role. 

• Deputy City Controller: Kurt Zorn
  Longtime Indiana University economist, professor, associate vice provost, and public finance expert Kurt Zorn, will join the Thomson administration as Deputy City Controller on an interim basis. Zorn, who earned his doctorate and master’s degrees from Syracuse University, serves on the city’s Economic Development Commission as well as the Indiana Finance Authority and is a past chair of the Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners.  

• Community & Family Resources: Beverly Calender-Anderson
  Mayor-Elect Thomson will appoint Beverly Calender-Anderson to serve as Director of the Community and Family Resources Department on an interim basis. Calender-Anderson has held the position since 2014 and announced her retirement earlier this year. A graduate of Judson University, she previously served as the City’s Safe and Civil City Director. 

• Corporation Counsel: Margie Rice 
  Margie Rice will be appointed Corporation Counsel, leading the City’s Legal Department in the Thomson administration. A graduate of Butler University, Rice earned her law degree from the Maurer School of Law, graduating cum laude. During her 25-year legal career, she has served as a deputy prosecuting attorney, represented clients in private practice, and was a member of municipal legal teams at both Monroe County and City of Bloomington governments. Rice previously served as Corporation Counsel during the Kruzan administration. 

• Economic and Sustainable Development Department: Jane Kupersmith
  Jane Kupersmith will join the Thomson Administration as the Director of Economic and Sustainable Development. She currently serves as Executive Director of CDFI Friendly Bloomington, which works to attract community development capital to the Indiana Uplands. A former Assistant Director of Small Business Development for the city from 2020 to 2022, Kupersmith also co-founded Hopscotch Coffee in 2014 and co-owned Rainbow Bakery from 2017 to 2023.

• City Engineering: Andrew Cibor
  Mayor-Elect Thomson will reappoint Andrew Cibor as City Engineer. A graduate of Northwestern University and member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Cibor has led the city’s Engineering Department since its inception in 2021. Previously, he served as the city's Transportation and Traffic Engineer in the Planning & Transportation Department from 2015 to 2018.

• Fire Department: Jason Moore
  Jason Moore will be reappointed as Bloomington’s Fire Chief by Mayor-Elect Thomson. Serving in the role since 2016, Moore previously worked in fire departments throughout South Carolina, served in the United States Air Force and worked as a consultant. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Columbia Southern University and a second master’s degree from Strayer University. 

• Human Resources Department: Sharmaine Pechac
  Sharmaine Pechac will be appointed to serve as Director of Human Resources in the Thomson administration. Pechac founded GreyPrint Consulting and is a senior certified professional by the Society for Human Resource Management. She has a doctorate from the University of Toledo and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Akron.

• Information & Technology Services: Rick Dietz
  Rick Dietz will be reappointed to serve as the Director of the Department of Information & Technology Services in the Thomson administration. Dietz, who has held the position since 2004, earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Indiana University.  

• Parks & Recreation: Tim Street
  Mayor-Elect Thomson will name Tim Street as the Parks & Recreation Department Director.  Street, who has served as the department’s Operations and Development Director since 2021, previously worked at Indiana University. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University.

• Police Department: Mike Diekhoff
  Continuing his long service to the Bloomington community, Mayor-Elect Thomson will reappoint Mike Diekhoff as Police Chief.  Diekhoff, who has been on the force since 1987, has been Chief since 2008. Diekhoff is a graduate of Indiana University.

• Public Works: Adam Wason
  Mayor-Elect Thomson will reappoint Adam Wason as Director of Bloomington’s Department of Public Works. An experienced public servant, he has been in the role since 2016 and previously served as Deputy Mayor, the city’s Communications Director, and in the Economic and Sustainable Development and Utilities Departments. Wason earned both his undergraduate and two master's certificates from the O’Neil School at Indiana University.

• Utilities: John Langley
  Mayor Elect Thomson will appoint John Langley as the interim Public Utilities Department Director. Langley, who retired as the department’s deputy director in 2019, is a former Deputy Mayor, Personnel Director, and Housing Code Enforcement Officer. 

Thomson and her team will conduct searches for permanent leaders in the Planning, Housing & Neighborhood Development, Community & Family Resources and Utilities Departments.