Town Manager, Kirk Blouin, recently selected Joshua Martin to serve as the Town’s new Director of Planning, Zoning & Building (PZB), succeeding John Page, who retired in January 2018 after 11 years with the Town. Mr. Martin’s employment with the Town begins on Monday, August 13. Prior to joining the Town’s senior management team, he served as the Senior Advisor to the Mayor on the Built Environment for the City of Charleston, South Carolina, a position he held since 2016.
Mr. Martin has over 17 years of experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors where his steadily progressive career path included such positions as Senior Planner, Assistant Community Development Director, Community Development Director and Town Manager of Bluffton, South Carolina; Director of the Department of Planning, Preservation and Economic Innovation of Charleston, South Carolina; Program Director of Land Use & Communities at the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League; Managing Principal at Sustainable Settlement, LLC; and Director of Planning & Strategy at Turnberry Consulting US. Mr. Martin has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Clemson University. He has been a presenter at forums and conferences all over the United States and overseas and is an active member of numerous professional organizations. Click HERE to view his resume.
The Town conducted a nationwide search for this position and received 56 applications. After reviewing applications and resumes, a screening panel comprised of Deputy Town Manager Jay Boodheshwar, Fire Chief Darrel Donatto and Administrative Manager Gwen Peirce conducted initial interviews with the top 19 candidates. A selection committee comprised of Mr. Blouin, Mr. Boodheshwar and Ms. Peirce held an extensive interview process with the six semi-finalists identified by the screening committee, and provided interactive sessions with representatives from the Town’s ARCOM, Landmarks Commission and Planning & Zoning Commission for each candidate. A full day of interviews was held with the top three finalists, which included an immersion/assessment exercise in the PZB Department followed by a presentation of findings to the selection committee.
“We cast a wide net and did a very extensive review of all the candidates,” said Mr. Blouin. “It was a lot of work, but we feel that it will pay dividends. As a result of this process, we believe we selected the best candidate to move us forward to improve our processes and customer service. We had several qualified candidates, but Mr. Martin stood out and we’re excited about the change in leadership.”