Gloucester, MA—Tapping the city’s current Community Development Director to be his de facto chief of staff, Gloucester’s Mayor-elect Greg Verga has filled a crucial role at the top of his forthcoming administration by appointing Jill Cahill, a veteran municipal and state-level senior management professional. The 46-year-old Gloucester resident will serve as Chief Administrative Officer to Verga, who will be inaugurated as the city’s 60th mayor on January 1.
Cahill is a proven leader and team-builder, having previously served as chief of staff for State Senator Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland), now President of the Massachusetts State Senate, and as executive director for the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators. With nearly two decades of executive experience creating and conducting legislative, fundraising and communications strategies, Cahill owns a keen understanding of state and local government.
“Jill’s work as Gloucester’s CDD for the past four-plus years is nothing short of remarkable,” said Verga. “She’s been at the forefront of designing and implementing plans, policies and programs to coordinate the physical growth and economic development of the city. She has seamlessly executed wide-ranging oversight functions, including management, advocacy and planning. She’s also secured and administered nearly $10 million dollars in grant funding since 2017. Jill is smart, driven and inspiring. As good as she’s been for Gloucester in her current role, she will help the city even more as the Chief Administrative Officer inside City Hall.”
Cahill has built a reputation as an articulate and persuasive communicator, able to convey and clarify complex ideas to individuals and groups. A results-driven project manager, she’s made operational efficiency and continuous progress staple components of her career. Prior to her hire by the City of Gloucester, Cahill spent four years as the communications manager for Pathways for Children, handling external communications, donor relations and community outreach in addition to overseeing special events for the non-profit, which nurtures children and supports Essex County families impacted by economic and social inequity.
“I’m excited and grateful for this new opportunity,” said Cahill. “The Mayor-elect is determined to take responsibility and make important decisions for the city at a vitally important juncture in our history, but he insists on doing that collaboratively and transparently while ensuring the community is engaged and broadly behind those decisions. This is the ideal time and place in my career to step into this role. Longterm, positive impacts on Gloucester are a top priority of the Verga administration, and I’m eager to be a part of that.”
Cahill emphasized that a major appeal of the new job was the incoming mayor’s campaign-long emphasis on listening to the experts around him and the City Council, incorporating every point of view into his decision-making process. “The Mayor-elect understands that on many issues, he won’t be the expert in the room—I think that self-awareness is a tremendous strength for an executive to possess.”
“Appointing Jill Cahill as Chief Administrative Officer is a smart and strategic decision by Mayor-elect Verga,” said Jim Destino, a former CAO for the City of Gloucester. “Having worked closely with Jill, I know from experience that she is the best person for the job. Since day one Jill has worked hard to build relationships with other department heads and community leaders, and that will be vital to her new role. She has a proven record of successfully building and leading her team, she is strategic and focused, and she understands how important leadership in the Mayor’s office is to the success of the entire city.”
The search for Cahill’s replacement as Gloucester’s Community Development Director will begin immediately.
Mayorelect Verga continues to work out of the City Hall Annex, a space provided by the office of the outgoing Mayor to facilitate a seamless and productive transition to a Verga administration. With two weeks remaining before his public swearing-in ceremony, the Mayor-elect’s six-member transition team is making its final recommendations with regard to whether, when, and how-best to implement a variety of policy initiatives once he takes office.
Plans for the January 1 inaugural ceremonies are also their final stages.
PHOTO CAPTION—Cahill_Jill: Veteran municipal and state-level senior management professional Jill Cahill will step into the role of Chief Administrative Officer for the incoming Verga administration.
