FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2021
Mayor Noble
Announces Upcoming Changes in the
Office of Grants
Management
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble has
announced Kristen Wilson’s planned departure from her role as the City’s
Director of Grants Management. Ms. Wilson has been an employee of the City of
Kingston since 2016 when the Mayor first established the Office of Grants
Management.
“Over the past five years, Kristen has
helped to transform the way the City funds and manages municipal projects, with
an emphasis on strategically leveraging grant opportunities, rather than
overburdening our local taxpayers,” said Mayor Noble.
“While Kristen and our project managers
have worked day and night to help secure tens of millions of dollars to support
critical infrastructure upgrades, transportation projects, parks improvements,
and waterfront access, I believe Kristen’s greatest contribution to our city
has been her effort to modernize our grant management processes and
build internal capacity to advance our ambitious agenda,” Mayor Noble
continued. “Kristen has broken down bureaucratic silos and instead built a
coalition of project leaders across City departments and with State agencies to
get the job done. She has provided extensive training and technical support,
which has allowed our team to be able to meet the public’s growing needs,
including making the largest investment in the City’s infrastructure in a
generation, particularly in Midtown.”
Since 2016, the City has secured over $44
million in grant funding. Notable projects completed or advanced during Ms.
Wilson’s tenure include construction of the Kingston Point Rail Trail Phase I
and the soon-to-be completed Broadway Streetscape and Broadway Grand
Intersection Projects. In addition, the design of a bulkhead on the Rondout
Creek in front of the Hudson River Maritime Museum was completed, and designs
of the Kingston Point Rail Trail Phases 2 & 3, Henry Street, and the Uptown
Transportation Improvements Project are well underway. Ms. Wilson has also
secured funds and guided project management for other projects such as Franklin
Street, the Safe and Accessible Flatbush and Foxhall Project, the Wayfinding
Plan, and mandated upgrades to the City’s wastewater treatment plant, among
others.
Ms. Wilson cited her passion for public
health, ADA compliance, transportation equity, and public engagement as her
motivation over the past five years: “It has been the honor of a lifetime to
help the City chart a new path forward to a more just and equitable future. I’m
especially proud of the progress we have made, in partnership with the Ulster
County Transportation Council and New York State, to create an accessible
transportation system, based upon objective data, local planning and engineering
studies, and direct community engagement. It is certainly bittersweet to leave,
particularly as more of these long-term transportation projects come to
fruition, but I am heartened that the City remains steadfast in its commitment
to building a better, safer transportation network for all.
“Furthermore, many of the grants we have
secured for public health, housing, the waterfront, the environment, and the
arts will leave a lasting, positive impact on the City for years to come.
I know that my colleagues, who embody the very definition of public
service, will skillfully carry these projects forward. Of the many memorable
moments I have had at City Hall, I will cherish most the time I spent with my
co-workers.
“I want to thank the Common Council for supporting
many of the projects and initiatives we brought forward and Mayor Noble, who
trusted and supported me to be a part of his team to help move our city
forward.”
“On behalf of the 24,000 residents of
Kingston, I thank Kristen for her dedication to making Kingston a better
community for its residents. We will continue to thoughtfully build off of the
foundation she has set,” said Mayor Noble.
Ms. Wilson will depart in October to take
a position with RUPCO as its Assistant Vice President of Community Development.
She will be succeeded by the City’s current Grants Manager, Ruth Ann
Devitt-Frank.
“Ruth Ann has worked tirelessly to broaden
our grant portfolio, expand our public outreach, and advance a wide variety of
municipal projects,” said Mayor Noble. “I am confident that she will be an
excellent Director of Grants Management and look forward to working closely
with her in the coming years as we continue on our road to recovery from the
pandemic.”
Since joining the City in 2019 as Grants
Manager, Ms. Devitt-Frank has been primarily responsible for grant research,
writing and communications, overseeing the full life-cycle for specific awards,
and assisting project managers across departments to help ensure funders’
requirements are met. She has also overseen a number of municipal projects such
as the Dietz Stadium & Andretta Pool Improvements, developed the City’s
public engagement site EngageKingston.com, and is currently helping to
implement new grants management software that will support proper compliance
with City procedures and funders’ regulations.
“It’s been a special privilege to work
alongside Kristen for the last two and a half years—she’s a remarkable and
unique professional, who cares so deeply about her community and
responsibilities. I’m honored that the Mayor has the confidence to charge me
with taking over where Kristen is leaving off. Filling her shoes won’t be easy,
but I’m excited about the opportunity to pick up and go forward with the great
work she’s done for our City.”
Ms. Devitt-Frank brings extensive
experience and expertise. Prior to her position with the City, she was
Development Director at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House for eight years.
Previously, she was Director of Special Events at New York City Ballet; managed
philanthropic projects at Warner Media, Inc.; and was a writer and fundraising
event consultant with the New York Public Library, Cooper Hewitt National
Design Museum, and Sanky Communications. She began her career in fundraising
and communications at the Greater New York March of Dimes.
Ms. Devitt-Frank has been a resident of
the City of Kingston since 2010 and has been active in the community as one of
the original founders of the Kingston Arts Commission and through volunteer
work with the Midtown Arts District.
To stay up-to-date on current and upcoming
municipal projects, visit www.engagekingston.com