Dale Cheatham is expected to be appointed as Burleson’s next city manager at the Feb. 20 city council meeting.
Once appointed, Cheatham will officially start his new job in April.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to serve in the city of Burleson,” Cheatham said in a Burleson press release. “Burleson is a growing and thriving community that I believe is operating from a position of strength. I look forward to working with the city council, staff and citizens to make a great city even better.”
Cheatham has worked for six municipalities, including four in Texas.
He is the town manager for Brownsburg, Ind. His public administration career includes administrative intern in public works, budget analyst and supervisor for Dallas, assistant city manager and city manager for Watauga and city manager for The Colony.
Cheatham also served in the U.S. Army for four years in Frankfurt and Heidelberg, Germany; Fort Hood; and Fort Harrison, Ind.
Cheatham earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Bradley University and a Master of Arts in public administration from Northern Illinois University.
He and his wife, DeeAnn, have two children.
When City Manager Curtis Hawk announced he would retire in March, council members hired Heidi Voorhees with Voorhees and Associates, a public management consulting firm.
In October, she interviewed council members and city staff for input.
The list of candidates was presented to the council at a December meeting.
After the Jan. 3 meeting, the list was made official.
The five finalists included Cheatham; Elizabeth Grindstaff, an assistant city manager from San Angelo; James Earp, an assistant city manager from Kyle; Charles Ewings, an assistant city manager from Longview; and John Godwin, a town manager from Fairview.
City council members narrowed the list from five to two on Jan. 26.
Cheatham and Grindstaff were interviewed by a community panel and city employee panel Feb. 1 and had a second interview with council on Thursday.
“After an exhaustive search that began with over 80 applicants, I can say with confidence Burleson has found the right person for the job,” Burleson Mayor Ken Shetter said. “Dale brings a great track record of outstanding employee and community relations. Throughout the search process the city council was impressed with his breadth of knowledge and his professionalism. I think I speak for the entire council when I say we are excited to work with Dale and look forward to welcoming him and his family to our great city.”
