BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford City Council approved the city manager’s nominations of two department director positions on March 5, according to a city press release.
Sasha Pavlak
Sasha Pavlak has been appointed as the city’s next finance director. Pavlak most recently served as a revenue analyst for Arlington County Government in Virginia. In her over four years in her role, Pavlak was the primary person who forecasted, managed and tracked the county’s $1.5 billion in operating budget revenues.
In addition to her municipal experience, Pavlak has served in several finance roles for private organizations, including as the senior accountant for Atlantic Media in Washington, D.C. and as a senior associate for KPMG LLP in Mclean, Virginia. She holds a MBA/Master of Science in Accounting from Northeastern University.
“I am thrilled to welcome Sasha to our leadership team,” City Manager James Bennett said. “Between her experience in managing nearly all financial calculations for Arlington County and her private sector accountant work, Sasha is more than qualified to take the lead of Biddeford’s Finance Department and jump into the Fiscal Year 2025 budget process that is currently underway.”
“I look forward to instilling confidence in the financial operations of the city while becoming a key part of the team leading its economic revival,” Pavlak said.
Lisa Thompson
The city manager also appointed Lisa Thompson as the Recreation director for the City of Biddeford. Thompson joined the Biddeford Recreation Department as Biddeford’s first deputy director of Recreation in May 2022. In her role, she worked closely with the Recreation director in all aspects of department operations, including personnel, facility operations, policy and procedures for staff and the public, oversight of facilities, and programming.
“Lisa has been an incredible asset to the Recreation Department leadership team for the last two years as deputy director, and I firmly believe that there is nobody more qualified to step into this role,” Bennett said.
Thompson has over 20 years in municipal Parks and Recreation experience and previously served in Recreation positions for the Town of North Yarmouth, Town of Wiscasset and City of South Portland. In 2019, she was named the William V. Haskell Recreation Professional of the Year by the Maine Recreation and Parks Association.
“I am very excited to be taking on this new role with the Recreation Department, and look forward to the new challenges and opportunities that will allow our department to grow and enhance the quality of life for the residents of Biddeford,” Thompson said.
“I am pleased and honored to have both Lisa and Sasha joining the City of Biddeford leadership team this month,” Mayor Grohman said. “I believe that they both recognize the great potential of the community and will be dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of our residents.”
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