The City of Danville today announced that Kenneth C. Gillie Jr. has been named director of community development. Gillie will oversee the department’s housing, inspections and planning and zoning divisions.
Gillie was selected for the position from a field of 60 applicants responding to a national recruitment. He has served as the City’s zoning administrator and division director of planning for 17 years.
“Kenny will do a great job for Danville at a time when we really need someone with his experience and knowledge of the city to lead the department,” City Manager Ken Larking said Tuesday. “As you know, City Council recently established three focus areas that it wants addressed immediately. One of those areas is to ‘Grow Danville’. Kenny’s number one assignment will be to work with me and other department directors to develop and implement strategies to grow this city.”
The Community Development Department is responsible for promoting new development and redevelopment of property and protecting the health, safety and welfare of the citizens through use of zoning, housing programs and property maintenance and building codes. The department has 26 employees.
“I look forward to using my knowledge of the City of Danville to help the community grow and improve the quality of life for our citizens,” Gillie said Tuesday.
He joined the City in 1992 as an associate planner. He also worked as a development coordinator before going to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to serve as planning, zoning and codes manager. He returned to Danville in 1999 as director of planning.
Gillie holds a master’s degree in geography from the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, and a bachelor’s degree in geography from the California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania.
He is a member of the American Planning Association, Virginia Citizens Planning Association and Virginia Association of Zoning Officials.
Gillie assumes his duties as department director on Thursday, Dec. 1. He succeeds Earl B. Reynolds Jr., who became deputy city manager on July 1.
