Centre County Administrator Margaret Gray will retire in May after more than five years in the county government’s top administrative role.
“It has been a privilege to serve Centre County and I am indebted to the Board of Commissioners for their support and confidence during my tenure,” Gray said in a statement on Thursday. “Certainly, the last several years have been ones of unprecedented challenges and yet much has been accomplished working together on behalf of Centre County and its citizens. Centre County is fortunate to have elected officials, department heads, and employees who are dedicated to the provision of high-quality services for our community.”
Over the last two years, Gray led the county’s response to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, working with elected officials and department heads to ensure services continued while also playing a key role in the allocation and disbursement of $14.7 million in federal CARES Act funding over a six-month period in 2020 and planning expenditures from a $15 million allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021.
She is credited with helping save the county millions of dollars during her tenure through initiatives including transitioning Centre County Government’s health care plan to a self-insured model, leading a guaranteed energy savings project across all county-owned facilities and refinancing bonds.
Gray has overseen five budgets that included no real estate tax increase while maintaining or growing services, recommended the creation of a chief information officer position that has increased cybersecurity in county government, and established internal systems to improve communications, policy, procurement, contracting, administrative and safety related procedures across county operations.
She has led the county through major construction and renovation projects, including the multi-phase courthouse renovations and the new first responder training building at the Public Safety Training Center in Pleasant Gap.
Among programs currently in progress that Gray has been instrumental in guiding are renovations to the former Centre Crest building in Bellefonte, an employee compensation and classification study, a broadband accessibility plan, an affordable housing study and a health department study.
“Margaret has been an incredible county administrator,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Michael Pipe said. “It’s been an honor to serve alongside her during these past five years. She has provided invaluable service to the residents of Centre County in countless ways. The board’s accomplishments were only possible due in large part to Margaret’s guidance, implementation, focus, and dedication. Centre County is indebted to her because of her time, talents, and tenacity. On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, I humbly thank Margaret for her service.”
Gray was appointed to the position by the Centre County Board of Commissioners in December 2016 and started the following February. Prior to that she worked at Penn State, where she was first director of the Social Science Research Institute before becoming the university’s director of local government and community relations for two years.
During her 30-year career in public administration, she also held positions with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Developmental Services, Pennsylvania Superior Court and the New Jersey Governor’s Office of the Budget.
A search for Gray’s successor as Centre County administrator will begin in the coming days.
“I look forward to working toward a smooth transition in the months ahead,” Gray said.
