Enfield
Ryan Aylesworth, 34, was presented with a conditional offer for the town’s top position, according to a Thursday news release. A Maine native, he currently serves as the town administrator in Hinsdale, Mass., a community of almost 2,000 people in Berkshire County.
Aylesworth was one of 53 applicants vetted for the position after former Town Manager Steve Schneider announced last fall his intent to step down. Schneider is now executive director of the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission.
“I certainly hope to build on past success,” said Aylesworth when reached by phone on Thursday.
“I would just like to stress that I think it seems like (Enfield) has the benefit of very dedicated and committed employees and officials,” he said, adding that he’s excited to join the team.
Aylesworth grew up in northwest Maine, where his family owned a fly-fishing business. He then went on to gain a bachelor’s degree of science in natural resource management from Cornell University and a master’s in public policy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
After leaving of school, Aylesworth served about three years as an intergovernmental affairs liaison at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Midwest. He also worked as president and CEO of Audubon International, an environmental association in New York, after moving to Massachusetts with his wife, a practicing veterinarian.
He now has two young children, and said he took a town administrator position in Hinsdale partially to work closer to family. Aylesworth was that town’s first administrator and after taking the post in 2015, began work redeveloping its website, kicking off a monthly newsletter and kick starting it’s first master plan.
Aylesworth also used his skills in the nonprofit world to obtain more than $500,000 in grants for Hinsdale, according to Laurel Scialabba, chairwoman of the town’s Selectboard.
“The town has been very lucky to have Ryan as our town administrator,” Scialabba said on Thursday. “I think the town has appreciated the work he’s done (and) I think the town will be very sorry to see him leave.”
Aylesworth’s experience both managing a town government and getting grant funding stood out in the candidate pool, said Dominic Albanese, who chaired Enield’s Town Manager Search Committee.
With the help of consultants, the eight-member committee worked for months to narrow down candidates to three, which they then presented to the Selectboard for final interviews.
“I think any of the three that we sent would have done a good job,” Albanese said. “But I think (Aylesworth’s) as strong as any of the others.”
Enfield Selectboard Chairman Fred Cummings said a person’s character, how they present themselves and their knowledge are all factors he looked for during interviews.
“To me, he was the clear number one candidate to lead Enfield into the future,” Cummings said. “To say I’m excited would be an understatement. I think we found the best candidate that we could possibly ever have hoped for.”
It’s not yet certain when Aylesworth will start as town manager. He still needs to complete a background check, and the board hasn’t negotiated a contract yet, according to the town’s news release.
But Aylesworth said he’s looking forward to moving. Although it won’t be easy to leave the Berkshires, he said, the Upper Valley offers the outdoors his family enjoys while also being close to Hanover and Dartmouth.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.