City of McKinney announces Public Works Director

McKinney, Texas (March 19, 2021) – The City of McKinney announced today the hiring of Ryan Gillingham as the Director of Public Works following a national search. Gillingham will start Monday, March 29.

Gillingham most recently served as the Director of Public Works in La Grange, Illinois, and lead the city’s operations including streets, water, sewer, street lighting, forestry, and buildings. Prior to that position, he served as Village Engineer for the Village of Morton Grove, Illinois, and has experience as a construction manager and civil engineer in the private sector. Gillingham holds a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas and Illinois.

“Ryan has a strong track record developing strong positive working relationships with city departments and building satisfaction and engagement with residents,” said City Manager Paul Grimes. “I have the utmost confidence that he will be highly successful in leading all of the Public Works operations in the city.”

Operating with more than 200 employees, the Public Works Department is comprised of five divisions: public facilities maintenance and fleet services, street and stormwater maintenance, solid waste and recycling, water and wastewater, and education and public outreach. Each year the department is responsible for maintaining 715 miles of streets and 75 miles of alleys, 1,000 miles of water line, and 728 miles of the wastewater collection system, and servicing 820 city vehicles as part of its fleet services operations.