Bethel Park hires municipal manager
Bethel Park Council named Kristen Denne as the new municipal manager at its July 10 meeting. Her start date is Aug. 28.
“Kristen is very well-qualified with substantial local government managerial experience,” said council President Tim Moury. “We’re excited to have her on board and look forward to what she’ll bring to our residents.”
Prior to accepting the position, Denne was manager of Caln Township in Chester County, where she managed day-to-day activities including police, administration, public works, a golf course, and municipal authority operations. Prior to that, she served as manager of Springettsbury Township, the City of Johnstown, Ambridge and Dormont boroughs.
A West Mifflin native, Denne looks forward to her new role with Bethel Park and moving back to the South Hills.
“Bethel Park has always been an amazing community with a great quality of life and good services for residents,” she said. “Having the ability to come back to Pittsburgh and particularly the South Hills area where my connections are active was a unique opportunity.”
Denne also serves as a commissioner on the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officer Education and Training Commission (MPOETC). She plans to continue her work there after joining Bethel Park.
Denne plans to review Bethel Park’s strategic plans and capital projects, and because budget season will be approaching, will become involved with that process while becoming familiar with the various municipal departments and employees.
“I also want to talk to council and see what they’d like to accomplish in 2024,” said Denne. “I realize some projects were halted due to the change in administration and issues with supply chains in recent years, so I’ll assess what we need to do to get projects moving in fast order.”
Denne’s love of local government began in graduate school. While attending the University of Pittsburgh, she served as an intern for the local Government Academy and Castle Shannon Borough.
“It seemed like local government was where I was gravitating,” she said. “I fell in love with neighborhood development and infrastructure.
“In my role now, I get to see the fruit of my labor more often than my colleagues at state and federal positions,” she added. “For instance, I can see a playground or park go from vision to construction, or a road that was in bad shape be reconstructed; it’s very fulfilling.”
Denne holds both a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in public administration from Pitt. She’s also participated in the Credentialed Manager Program from the International City/County Management Association, has completed the Capstone Seminar with the Association of Pennsylvania Municipal Management and completed a Public Entity Leadership Certificate from Pennsylvania State University.
In addition to her professional activities, Denne serves as a eucharistic minister and lector at her local parish. She has been a guest lecturer at local colleges, public sector professional organizations and nonprofits involved in local government.