Reston Association board to hire new CEO before April

Reston Association’s Board of Directors is closing in on identifying the organization’s next CEO after Hank Lynch resigned last year.

Yesterday evening (Wednesday), the board narrowed down the list of candidates during a closed meeting. Finalists will be interviewed next week, according to RA spokesperson Mike Leone.

“The interviews will take place ‘in-person,’ not virtual, and the full Board will participate,” Leone told FFXnow by email. “The current Board hopes to complete the hiring process in early April before the next Board is seated and is on-track to do so.”

Reston Patch first reported that the board conducted virtual interviews with candidates last weekend.

The hiring process continues as some call on the board to delay a hiring decision until new directors are elected on April 1. Consulting firm Baker Tilly is conducting a national search for the new CEO. The annual salary was advertised in the mid-$200,000s.

This year’s election is uncontested, but a 10% quorum of votes must be met. Laurie Dodd, Irwin Flashman and Glenn Small are running for three seats that will be vacated by Aaron Webb, John Mooney and Tom Mulkerin.

RA has not yet filled vacancies for three other leadership positions, including a human resources director, an information technology director and a high-level environmental position.

A move by at-large board member Sarah Selvaraj-D’Souza to involve future new board members failed at a Feb. 9 Board of Directors meeting.

Selvaraj-D’Souza sought to create a committee with the three board candidates to sit on interviews with CEO applicants and observe the hiring process.

The effort failed by a 3-4 vote, with dissenting votes from board president Caren Anton, Mike Collins, John Mooney and Tim Dowling.

In a separate move, Flashman asked that the board delay the hiring process so newly elected board members could have input.

“The difference in terms of time is relatively small, at most one or two months of deferral time, while the impact could be relatively great, three years and more,” Flashman said during a Jan. 27 board meeting.

Lynch replaced Cate Fulkerson who resigned in 2018 after 13 years in her position.