Wakefield’s Rick Stinson Elected to American Public Works Association Board of Directors

Richard Stinson, Director of Public Works for the Town of Wakefield, Massachusetts, was recently elected Region I Director of the American Public Works Association (APWA). Stinson is one of the 17-member APWA Board of Directors who leads the organization.

For the coming year, APWA’s key issues include building livable communities for the future, professional development and education services for all members, advocating for infrastructure investment sustainability, international relations, emergency management and leadership.

Rick Stinson has served as the Director of Public Works for the Town of Wakefield since 2001. He directly oversees ten divisions which include Highway, Water, Sewer, Parks, Forestry, Cemetery, Fleet Maintenance, Buildings, Administration, and Engineering. He previously served as the Director of Operations for the Town of Danvers, Mass., from 1994-2001, and as Business Manager, Town of Wakefield, from 1988-1994. Stinson currently serves on Wakefield’s Galvin Middle School Advisory Building Committee, the Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools Task Force, Wakefield’s World War II Monument Committee, and Wakefield’s Traffic Advisory Committee.

Stinson is a current member of APWA’s Finance Committee and chaired the Task Force on Future Conferences. He has been a member of the Governance Task Force (2006), National Nominating Committee (2004-05), Top Ten Public Works Leaders Selection Committee (2005-08), and Livable Communities Task Force (1997-98). He served on the New England Chapter Board of Directors for 15 years (1993-2008) and served as Chapter Delegate (2002-09) and Chapter President (2001). He has served on a number of chapter committees and chaired the Steering Committee for the 2010 Boston Congress.  In 2011, the New England Chapter of APWA awarded Mr. Stinson the Chapter’s Distinguished Service Award.  Additionally, Stinson was named one of APWA’s Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year in 2003 and is one of the inaugural APWA “Public Works Leadership Fellows,” (2011).

“As APWA’s Region I Director, I want to increase educational opportunities for public works professionals, with an emphasis on mentoring, so that we provide strong public works leaders for the future.  It is also important that we increase governmental public works activities on both the national and state levels.  We must continue to build a stronger emergency management system for public works agencies and ensure that APWA is the go to agency for public works issues that impact local communities,” Stinson said.

For more information on the American Public Works Association, or for APWA media queries, contact APWA Media Relations and Communications Manager, Laura Bynum, lbynum@apwa.net, or call 202.218.6736.

About APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 28,500 members involved in the field of public works.  APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, has an office in Washington, D.C. and 63 chapters in North America.