Joshua Steele Kelly

860-912-7624 – joshuasteelekelly@gmail.com 

Last Updated April, 2023

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• Serves as the Town’s Chief Executive Officer as defined by the Town Charter and Connecticut General Statutes.
• Works daily, on behalf of the Board of Selectmen, to develop and implement policies, vision, and long-term goals.
• Responsible for personnel management (~100 employees), including hiring, contract negotiations, and discipline.
• Develops and compiles annual budget of ~$36 million and capital improvement plan for Board review and adoption.
• Coordinates interdepartmental projects, oversees legal affairs, and responds to public and media requests for information.
• Created and currently executing a plan to spend $3.1 million of American Rescue Plan money received by the Town.
• Wrote and won over $5.8 million in grants, including a $1.8 million CT Communities Challenge Grant to revitalize Main Street, $3.38 million from Congress for a Public Works facility replacement and new 800-band radios, and more.
• Designed and oversaw approval of a $24.7 million infrastructure investment plan focused on roads, sidewalks, and more.
• Helped Town achieve a double bond rating upgrade from A1/A+ to AA; oversaw bond sale of $11.5 million.
• Created ground-breaking facade improvement and business start-up programs to encourage economic growth in Winsted.
• Coordinated rescue and care of animals in largest animal hoarding case in Connecticut’s history, to date.
• Successfully negotiated three union contracts.
• Represents Winchester on the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) and in other official capacities.

• Worked daily, on behalf of the Board of Selectmen, to develop and implement their policies, vision, and long-term goals.
• Responsible for all Town personnel management (~45 FTEs), including hiring, collective bargaining negotiations, and discipline; rewrote and expanded Town’s Personnel Policy Manual in 2020 after 27 years without updates or additions.
• Developed and compiled annual budget of ~$22.9 million and capital improvement plan for Board review; responsible for general financial oversight; co-authored Town’s first ever Financial Policy Manual; served as Town Treasurer.
• Served as the Town’s Purchasing Agent, oversees insurance policies, and prepares grant applications.
• Coordinated interdepartmental projects, oversees legal affairs, and responds to public and media requests for information.
• Served as the Chair of the Town’s Unified Command team throughout the pandemic and other states of emergency.
• Helped initiate and serves on Four Town Economic Vitality Steering Committee, manages Bolton Lakes invasive species treatment plans, initiated Town website redesign, and initiated Bolton’s rebranding project and online tourism campaign.
• Represented Bolton on the Eastern Highlands Health District Board of Directors, various Capitol Region Council of Government (CRCOG) committees, and on the CT-CHIP  health insurance consortium Board of Directors.
• Appointed as the Town’s Municipal Water Coordinator, Local Traffic Authority, and Open Burning Official.
  

Management Analyst ~ Town of Windsor, CT (May 2019 - August 2019)

• Advised the Town Manager, Director of Public Works, and Town Council on matters of output and cost efficiency, communications, and production methods by studying and reporting out on town-collected data.
• Prepared draft directives, policies, press releases, resolutions, and ordinances on behalf of the Town Manager.
• Served as the town’s communication liaison to the public following the Bradley International Airport PFAS leak.
• Helped develop and execute plans for the construction of Windsor’s new public safety headquarters.
• Assisted Economic Development Director with redevelopment projects at the Wolcott School and Millbrook sites.

• Worked with the Town Manager to further projects pertaining to town administration, policies and programs proposed by Town Councilors, the management of personnel and resources, contract negotiations, and the upkeep of open space.
• Assisted Finance Department in budget creation, policy review, and preparing materials for bond issuances.
• Helped develop and author the annual budget of ~$113 million and the Capital Improvement Plan for FY 2020.

• Top vote-getter of RTM candidates in 2017; introduced environmentally-focused legislation, town charter revision proposals, proposals to bolster town capacity for economic development, & numerous cost-saving initiatives.
• Chair of the Town’s Legislation & Administration Committee, responsible for comprehensive policy and bylaw review.
• Member of the Long Range Fiscal Planning Committee, focused most notably on the imminent loss of local power plant.
• Reviewed and approved Town’s annual operating budget of ~$97 million for FY 2019 and FY 2020.

• Elected Committee Chair upon appointment; facilitated the authoring of key RTM bylaw amendments, ordinance revisions pertaining to the town’s fiscal transparency and title changes, and committee-forming resolutions.
  

• Elected by the RTM to serve as a member of the committee, which has been charged with creating an economic plan to help Waterford through the closure of the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant, comprising over 32% of the town’s taxbase.
  

• Joined commission as an Alternate at the request of the town's First Selectman in 2016; appointed Commissioner in 2018.
• Championed initiative to create open space acquisition program, help to review inland wetland permit applications.

• Planned and held events for Wheaton students pertaining to civics and activism, and worked to increase community engagement within the student body.

• Worked with students, in the absence of full-time classroom teachers, to better understand and learn subject matter in a variety of disciplines.

• Provided support through programming, building community, facility management, & directing students to campus resources.

• Conducted campus tours and interviews with applicants, served as a panelist for information sessions, and helped organize and plan travel for Wheaton admission counselors while full-time staff was not available to do so.

• Provided support for residents through programming & directing individuals to campus resources.
  

• Assisted the Director with publications, communications, community outreach, and grant-seeking.
  

• Assisted the Director with publications, communications, event planning, and community outreach.

Warner Theater Board of Directors ~ Member-At-Large  (2021 - Present)

• Selected to serve three-year term; helps oversee theater's annual budget, provides feedback on strategic plan and current operations and activities.

Connecticut Town/City Management Association ~ Member-At-Large  (2021 - Present)

• Helps promote growth of the Association and assists in the planning of association meetings and discussions.

Connecticut Council of Small Towns Board of Directors ~ Member-At-Large  (2021 - Present)

• Selected to serve two-year term; helps promote a pro-small town agenda to state legislators and other interest groups.

Wheaton College Alumni Board of Directors ~ Member-At-Large (2020 - Present)

• Selected to serve three-year term (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023).
• Serves on the Nominations Committee and on the Engagement & Philanthropy Committee.

Wheaton College Model United Nations Alumni Association ~ Founder & President (2020 - Present)

• Founder of the Association and appointed Deputy Treasurer at the June 2020 meeting.
• Elected President effective July 2022.
• Responsible for authoring the Association's annual budget and assisting the Treasurer with routine activities.
• Attained and maintains 501(c)(3) status for the organization.
• Responsible for chairing all full Association meetings; planning group activities and fundraising efforts.

Project Bright ~ Executive Producer, Webmaster, & Performer (2015 - Present)

• Help to produce an annual music festival to raise awareness about mental health & suicide prevention. 
  
• Founder and producer of the Bright Theatre Festival, one of Project Bright’s two annual events.

Wheaton College Model United Nations Conference (WheaMUN) ~ Founder & Secretary-General  (2016 – 2017)

• Served as chief organizer for Wheaton’s first on-campus Model United Nations Conference for high school teams.
  

House of Residents Engaged in Political Science (House of REPS) ~ Founder & President (2016 - 2017)

• Presided over meetings, served as the liaison to the Office of Residential Life, and planned community events.
  
• Planned and organized event for Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein to speak on campus in September, 2016.
  

Wheaton College Model United Nations ~ Head Delegate  (2015 – 2017)

• Managed and trained the Wheaton College Model UN team to compete on the national level.
  
• Best Delegate Award winner at Five College Model United Nations 2016 & 2017.
  

Wheaton College Student Government Association ~ Senator-at-Large  (2016 – 2017)

• Attended meetings, served on campus-wide committees, and proposed policy amendments to the college administration.
  
• Served on the college Sustainability Committee as a Student Representative.
  

Babe Lincoln Political Magazine ~ Section Editor & Contributing Writer (2016 – 2017)

• Served as the editor for all science and environmental articles in 2016, contributed writing in 2017.
  

Wheaton College Commencement Speaker Selection Committee ~ Member (2016)

• Worked as a student representative on the committee to help select a suitable speaker for commencement in 2017.
  

Wheaton College Gentlemen Callers ~ Co-Pitch (2015 – 2016)

• Arrange music, teach and rehearse songs, and perform a cappella music with other Wheaton students.
  

Ithaca College Student Government Association ~ Senator-at-Large  (2014 - 2015)

• Attended meetings, served on campus-wide committees, and proposed policy amendments to the college administration.
  
• Served on the IC 20/20 Curriculum Review Committee as a Student Representative.
  

Ithaca Model European Union and Model United Nations ~ Member & Delegate  (2013 - 2015)

• Traveled to four off-campus conferences as a delegate on Ithaca College’s Model United Nations team.
  
• Presided over and served as the President of the European Council at SUNY Model European Union 2015.
  

Ithaca College Greens Theatre Project ~ Founder, Director, & Executive Producer  (2014 - 2015)

• Directed The Laramie Project and The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later in the Spring of 2014.
  
• Acquired funding for all productions and raised money for multiple charities through ticket sales.
  

Ithaca College Progressives ~ Founder & Chairman  (2013 – 2015)

• Presided over meetings, managed web presence, planned and executed community, activist, and recruiting events.
  

Ithaca College First Year Hall Council ~ President (2013 - 2014)

• Presided over meetings, managed the council budget, and helped plan, organize, and execute community events.
  

International City/County Management Association ~ Full Member (2019 - Present)

Connecticut City/County Management Association ~ Full Member (2019 - Present)

Albert G. Ilg Fellowship in Local Government Award ~ Dept. Public Policy, University of Connecticut (2019)

Pi Alpha Alpha Public Administration Honors Society Member ~ UConn Chapter (2019)

Joseph M. and Susan Stampler Parensky '68 Fellowship ~ Wheaton College (2017)

Best Delegate Award ~ Five College Model United Nations (2016 & 2017)

Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honors Society Member ~ Alpha Iota Tau Chapter  (2016)

Who’s Who Among American College & Universities Winner ~ Who’s Who  (2015)

Peggy R. Williams Award for Academic and Community Leadership ~ Ithaca College  (2015)

Ithaca College Leadership Scholar ~ Ithaca College  (2013 - 2015)

Eagle Scout Award ~ Waterford, CT Troop 29  (August 2013)