City announces new Director of Public Works

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The City of St. Joseph officially awarded the title of Director of Public Works to Chance Gallagher after she took over on an interim basis in April.

Gallagher is a Missouri native and has been employed with the City of St. Joseph since 2016 and was most recently the City's deputy director of Public Works and Transportation.

Gallagher oversaw Go St. Joe Transit, Rosecrans Memorial Airport and the St. Joseph Area Transportation Study Organization.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management from Northwest Missouri State University, a Master of Business from Park University and a Master of Public Administration.

"St. Joseph's infrastructure is the foundation everything else is built on, how our residents get to work, how goods move through our community, how we protect our wastewater and manage our resources," Gallagher said. "I am honored to step into this role and committed to building on the strong work of this department while continuing to push forward for the people of St. Joseph."

City Manager Mike Schumacher said Gallagher's experience, leadership and long-standing commitment to the community made her a clear choice to lead the department.

"Chance has consistently demonstrated the professionalism, vision and collaborative leadership needed to guide one of the City's most essential departments," Schumacher said. "Her proven ability to manage complex projects, secure critical funding and deliver results for our residents gives us great confidence in the future of Public Works under her leadership."

Gallagher's salary is $139,000. She replaces Abe Forney, who left for a job in the private sector in April.