Jessica White will serve as budget director following the retirement of Valerie Sommerville. White has served in the Budget Office for 15 years and her appointment will begin Feb. 1, 2016.
White will be responsible for the preparation, implementation and administration of the $456 million county operating budget and serve as a member of the Capital Projects Committee, labor negotiations team and will present and justify budget recommendations of the county executive.
Christopher Baiano will serve as assistant county executive following the departure of Michael Ellison. Baiano, currently deputy commissioner for the Dutchess County Board of Elections, will begin serving on Jan. 4, 2016.
Baiano has also served as deputy clerk in the Dutchess County Clerk’s Office from 2004 to 2007 and as City of Poughkeepsie councilmember from 1998 to 2002 and Dutchess County legislator in 2003.
Ron Hicks will serve as assistant county executive for Economic Development starting Jan. 1, 2016. The position comes from the reclassification of the deputy commissioner for Strategic Planning and Economic Development position in the 2016 county budget. Hicks served in the reclassified position since 2012.
Hicks was instrumental in the consolidation of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation and the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency for greater efficiency and effectiveness as part of the County’s Economic Development Strategy efforts.
He also has spearheaded efforts for internal reform of permitting and review processes, downtown redevelopment efforts, infrastructure planning and investment and a targeted business attraction campaign for new job creation.
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