Darien Town Administrator To Leave For Job In Greenwich
DARIEN, CT — Current Darien Town Administrator Kathleen Buch is heading to Greenwich, according to an announcement Monday morning.
Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo said Buch will be the new town administrator and chief operating officer. Her hiring is effective Sept. 23.
Buch’s hiring comes after “a thorough, open search,” and she will succeed current Town Administrator and COO Ben Branyan, who has taken the position of chief financial and administrative officer of the Greenwich Public Schools.
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“This is a wonderful opportunity and I am excited to come work for the Town of Greenwich,” said Buch. “I am looking forward to joining the team.”
Darien First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky praised Buch’s work in town over the years.
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“Kate has played such an important role in the operations of our town. Her talent, dedication and expertise are second to none, and I count her as a friend. She will be sorely missed,” Zagrodzky told Patch. “Greenwich will be very lucky to have her. I sincerely wish her well in this new chapter of her career.”
Zagrodzky said Darien will launch a search effort “soon” to find a replacement, and he said he looks forward to interviewing qualified candidates.
“This will be an important hire to get right for Darien, and I know the Board of Selectmen will be fully engaged in the process,” he added.
Camillo said that Buch was an outstanding candidate throughout the search process for Greenwich.
“We looked at many excellent applicants and there were a lot of people who could have fit right into the town of Greenwich, but to me Kathleen stood out,” Camillo said in the announcement. “Her local connections and her experience in municipal government make her the perfect fit for Greenwich. I am eager to get to work with her starting in September and I think she is going to be a real asset to our town.”
Buch joined the town of Darien in 2015. She has worked as the finance director in town, and was previously the finance director for West Haven. She also served as assistant finance director for Newtown and chief fiscal officer for Southbury.
In addition, Buch has private sector experience as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.
She is a certified public finance officer as well as a member of the Connecticut City Managers’ Association and the International City Managers’ Association. She received a bachelor’s degree from Chestnut Hill College and a master’s degree from Western Connecticut State University.
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