Burcham to serve as interim town manager in Pulaski

Following the resignation of Town Manager Shawn Utt, Pulaski Town Council Members have chosen to contract with The Berkley Group to provide interim Town Manager assistance. Effective July 1^st, Darlene Burcham will serve as the Interim Town Manager for the Town of Pulaski.

Ms. Burcham is currently serving as Town Manager for Clifton Forge, Virginia but is joining The Berkley Group as a member of its Executive Management Team, which provides proven management services for localities that have an executive vacancy or require organizational assistance.

Ms. Burcham has an extensive list of qualifications and experience, with over 40 years spent honing an array of skills in community development and personnel management. She received her Masters of Social Work Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, along with a Bachelor of Psychology degree from the College of William & Mary. In addition Ms. Burcham attended both the Federal and Senior Executive Institutes in Charlottesville, which provide training and professional development for local government leaders and managers.

Her professional career can be traced back well before her tenure as the City of Norfolk’s Deputy City Manager in 1995, where she remained until 1999. After leaving Norfolk, she served as the City Manager for Roanoke City from 2000 until 2010, where a multitude of improvements to the city’s operations and community strategy were achieved with stellar results. Following a decade of success in Roanoke, she then accepted a position as Town Manager for the Town of Clifton Forge, Virginia, where she continues to drive positive change and impactful decisions from 2010 to 2020.

Ms. Burcham will now be using her long list of qualifications and background of success to guide the Town of Pulaski as we initiate the search for a permanent Town Manager. We look forward to welcoming her to our Town, and we’re incredibly excited to bring her into the fold of our ongoing community development projects. We have no doubt that the Town of Pulaski will succeed under her leadership and guidance.

If you have any questions regarding Interim Town Manager Darlene Burcham or our recruitment process for a permanent Town Manager, please contact our offices at 540-994-8600.