Normal picks Ryan Otto to head Engineering Department

Posted on July 9, 2018
Normal City Manager Pam Reece announced that Ryan Otto will take over as Director of Engineering at the end of this month. (Town of Normal)

By Patrick Baron

NORMAL – The Town of Normal has chosen a new Director of Engineering to replace Gene Brown, who ended his 33-year career at the end of May.

Normal City Manager Pam Reece announced Monday that Ryan Otto will take over as Town Engineer starting July 30. Otto has served as Bloomington’s Assistant City Engineer since November 2015, following his tenure as Bloomington’s Civil Engineer, a position he took in February 2005.

“We were immediately impressed, not only with his knowledge and expertise, but with his demonstrated ability to lead a team to accomplish challenging goals in a timely and effective manner,” Reece said in a statement.

Normal’s Engineering Department has eight employees and is responsible for engineering functions such as plan review, project management, public works inspection, design services, capital project budgeting and traffic control management.

“This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a great team,” Otto said. “I look forward to working with the staff to understand and implement the goals and priorities of the Town of Normal.”

Otto graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Engineering. He is also a member of the Bloomington Chapter of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].

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