Earl Departs City; Lyons to Interim Administrative Services Director

From the City of Evanston:

Evanston Director of Administrative Services Joellen Earl has announced her plans to leave the City of Evanston and start her own company, which will focus on local government staffing solutions. Mrs. Earl will transition from her position as Director of Administrative Services effective Friday, July 1 and work on a modified schedule in the City Manager’s Office through September 30, 2011 when she will leave the City of Evanston. Assistant City Manager Marty Lyons will serve as Interim Director of Administrative Services beginning July 5 while the city recruits a replacement for Earl’s position.

“Joellen Earl has brought to the City of Evanston great expertise in the area of human resources and labor relations and provided important leadership as the city merged its Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology and Parking operations into one department,” said City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz. “Evanston has benefited from Joellen’s experience as a local government manager and we wish her well as she launches her new company.”

Earl is leaving Evanston to become President of GovTemps USA, a new public sector staffing firm, specializing in placing professionals in local government positions on a temporary basis.

“I am pleased that Joellen will continue on a part-time basis through the Summer to assist with FY 2012 budget preparation and that Marty Lyons has once again agreed to take on a temporary department director assignment,” Bobkiewicz concluded.

In announcing Earl’s departure, City Manager Bobkiewicz also announced his intention to reconfigure the Director of Administrative Services position by changing the position title to Chief Financial Officer and adding the responsibilities of City Treasurer to the position, currently held by Mr. Lyons. The position will still remain the department director of the Department of Administrative Services, but will have the additional focus of being the city’s senior financial executive.

Joellen Earl has worked for the City of Evanston since 2007 when she became Director of Human Resources. She became Director of Administrative Services in 2010. Prior to her Evanston service, Earl was Assistant County Manager in Catawba County, North Carolina for three and half years and served in Assistant Manager positions in several local governments in Massachusetts for seventeen years.