During the July 1 public meeting, Delaware County Council unanimously appointed Howard Lazarus as Delaware County’s Executive Director.
County Council has been conducting a nationwide search for an Executive Director for several months. Over 140 candidates were identified.
Howard Lazarus joins the role of Delaware County Executive Director with more than 30 years of diverse experience in the public and private sectors, as well as military service. He was raised in Broomall, and graduated Marple Newtown High School, where he was a varsity athlete and member of the National Honor Society.
"I am thrilled to return to Delaware County after many years serving communities across the country, and joining the exceptional people who make up the Delaware County team,” said Howard Lazarus. “Delco is a dynamic place, and I look forward to reconnecting with what is familiar and discovering what is new!"
Prior to relocating to Delaware County, his most recent positions were as the City Administrator for Ann Arbor, Michigan and as the City Public Works Director and Interim Assistant City Manager for Austin, Texas. He also served as the Director of Engineering and Public Works for Newark, New Jersey from 1996-2000, and was an Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy. He is a proud Army Veteran, serving as a Company Commander and Senior Staff Officer. In his private sector positions, he was responsible for strategic planning and business development, personnel, contracting, and service delivery with customer satisfaction and profit/loss responsibilities.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Howard went on to receive his Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Environmental Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government course at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
“Howard Lazarus brings a great deal of public service experience to Delaware County as well as a vision and enthusiasm for the future of Delaware County,” said Delaware County Council Chairman Brian Zidek. “Our goal is to revamp and rebuild a better government and that requires change and a cultural shift. Howard is the change agent we need to help us to become a more successful County.”
Howard Lazarus will begin his role as Executive Director in mid-July. Hours after he was appointed, he drafted a memo to County employees with a focus on his eagerness to jump in and begin public service, returning to his hometown.
”I look forward to working side-by-side as we pursue public service excellence,” Lazarus said in a memo to County employees. “Our County government consists of amazing people who have dedicated their lives to the service of others. You operate in the lane between where we are now and where we aspire to be. We will have spirited and robust discussions on how we get to our destination, but we should always have confidence that we will remain focused on the policy direction that Council has established. I look forward to embarking down this new road with all of you.”
Howard has been married for more than 30 years and speaks of raising two exceptional daughters as his proudest achievement in life.