John Scarffe, Nederland.  On her first day on the job as Nederland Town administrator on September 1, 2017, Karen Gerrity drove 20 minutes from her home on Camp Eden Road in Coal Creek Canyon. She didn’t see any moose on the way and was a little early, so she stopped by the Nederland Visitor Center.

In her office at Town Hall, she met with staff members during the morning getting familiar with faces and procedures. During the afternoon, Gerrity had an open house for staff and members of the community to meet her. One of the first community members to welcome Gerrity that afternoon was Town Marshal Paul Carrill.

Carrill announcement his retirement from the Marshal position after Gerrity was hired. “It’s time. After over three years of service to the citizens of the Town of Nederland, I have tendered my letter of resignation/retirement to Town Administrator Gerrity and notified Mayor Larsen,” Carrill wrote in an email to Town staff on August 24. In his letter of resignation, Carrill said his last day will be on September 14.

Gerrity said that among her priorities are hiring a new marshal, and then she wants to wrap her brain around bigger projects like the Biosolids Waste Water Treatment Plant. She also wants to find out how the Town feels about the recent assessment of Nederland streets and roads indicating that maintenance on Nederland roads could cost $5.5 million.

The Nederland Board of Trustees hired Gerrity as the new Town administrator on August 1. Gerrity told the Board that getting hired for the position marks the realization of a dream for her to live and work in the mountains. Over the years she has shopped at B&F Super Market and Ace Hardware and snow shooed and hiked in the area.

“Nederland is our mountain community. It’s my great honor to utilize 30 years of experience to work in partnership with the citizens, mayor and trustees. My intention is to show up in an authentic and open manner,” Gerrity said.

Gerrity earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2002 she was honored as one of four women who “Light up the Community” by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.

Since 2008, Gerrity has been the cultural affairs manager for the City and County of Broomfield, Colorado. From 2004 to 2012 she was an Advisory Board Member for US Bank.

From 2005 to 2008, she was deputy district administrator for the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District of the Denver Metro Area. She was chief operating officer for etown from 2004 to 2005. She was executive director of the Dairy Center for the Arts from 2001 to 2004 and founding business director for Boulder Country Day School from 1988 to 2001.