Rockville Centre names new village administrator

After five months in which a top village job remained vacant, Rockville Centre has a new village administrator.

Kathleen Murray, who previously served as deputy village administrator for planning and strategic initiatives, was appointed to the position last week. (She is not related to Mayor Francis X. Murray.)

The previous village administrator, Keith Spadaro, left in October 2015 for a private-sector job at a financial services firm in New York City. Mayor Murray took over the position temporarily.

“Kathleen’s vast experience, knowledge of our village and ability to work with personnel from all departments to complete projects that have improved the village for both employees and residents make her the obvious person for the job,” said the mayor. “I look forward to continuing to work alongside Kathleen to improve upon this great village.”

As deputy village administrator, Murray worked to improve the efficiency of village projects, processes and staff. She also provided support for construction projects, including the renovation of Maple Avenue. She planned and prepared grant proposals and managed the resulting projects.

“I am extremely pleased and humbled to serve the village that I grew up in and in which I’ve raised my family,” she said. “The five years I’ve spent with the village have allowed me to learn the operations from the ground up and have prepared me for my new role with the village. I look forward to further developing relationships with my neighbors and co-workers.”

Before she worked for the village, Murray wrote and managed grants as a consultant to the Family Service League and South Nassau Communities Hospital’s World Trade Center Family Center. Before that, she was the chief operating officer for an organizational development consulting firm in New Haven, Conn., and evaluated business plans for the quasi-public venture capital firm Connecticut Innovations Inc.

She earned an undergraduate degree in management from Boston College and a master’s in business administration from Yale University.

In her new role, Murray will supervise almost 20 departments and be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the village.

She has done volunteer work for the RVC Conservancy, the Wilson School PTA and the Council of PTAs. A longtime Rockville Centre resident, she grew up in the village and returned 15 years ago with her husband, Bill, to raise their three children.