Page 18 - JulyAugust2016 Vol34 No2
P. 18
ATHENS By Gabriel Garcia
April Johnston, Public Works Pioneer
April Johnston may have reached an April Johnston, the new Street Superintendent for City of Athens Public Works, looks over documents in her
important milestone when she took office. Johnston started her new position last week after previously serving as Sanitation Coordinator.
over as the Athens Public Works Street Photo by Gabriel Garcia
Superintendent.
have learned a lot from them and I’m directors typically do,” Lindsey said,
According to Director Shawn Lindsey, looking forward to learning a lot more.” “or strong management backgrounds
the 36-year-old Athens native, who with master’s degrees or undergraduate
stepped up into the position vacated While a few women have risen to degrees in management or some other
when 44-year veteran Harvel Henry be Public Works directors in the state, field. But when you become a street
retired, became the first and only woman including Loretta Hopper in Signal superintendent, you’re typically working
in the state of Tennessee to hold that title Mountain, Lindsey still views Johnston’s your way up the ranks of Public Works.
in the field of Public Works. rise to the street superintendent position And so they’ll be on a crew for a while,
as significant in a field that has largely they’ll become a supervisor or a foreman
“I’ve got some big shoes to fill,” said been male-dominated until the last few and then they get promoted to street
Johnston, looking back and ahead in years. superintendent. And because we have
adjusting to her new occupation. not had women in Public Works for that
“Twenty-five years ago you didn’t even long, it’s pretty rare.”
It’s a position she’s built up to for seven see women in Public Works,” Lindsey
years in the Public Works Department. said. “And so having a woman street And for Johnston, working up the
Previously, Johnston had been the superintendent is something special. We ranks meant a lot of the dirty work in
Sanitation Coordinator, during which have women in Public Works now, and the field of Public Works, according to
she directed the collection of residential had them for a while now, but as far as Lindsey.
and commercial garbage, plus managed I know, there’s not been a female street
the Recycling Center and the Pride Car superintendent.” “Most of the work that we did is
program, worked with Keep McMinn something a lot of people don’t want to
Beautiful and organized volunteer Significant about the street do,” Lindsey said. “Dirty work like in
projects. superintendent position, in particular, is the back of a garbage truck, working a
a path different from the one a director jackhammer, digging ditches, working
“Time has flown by, and I love it typically takes into their position. out in the hot sun all day or in the cold
out here,” Johnston said. “Every day is weather all day. It was an industry that
different, and I love that about Public “We do have at least two Public was predominantly male-oriented,
Works, that we do something different all Works directors in the state who are but also wasn’t very popular and not
the time.” females and typically they have civil
engineering degrees, as Public Works
As street superintendent, Johnston
oversees some of what she had done
in her previous position and a whole
lot more. Working with Lindsey, she
will oversee all eight divisions in the
department, including sanitation,
administration, street maintenance,
street construction, street cleaning, traffic
control, fleet maintenance and animal
control.
Johnston’s seven years of experience
include working every area of the Public
Works Department, even though her
previous position had her focused mostly
on sanitation.
“She has been a sanitation coordinator,
but she worked every area of Public
Works,” Lindsey said. “She’s been in
customer service helping us organize the
department.”
And that overall knowledge will help
Johnston in her new role.
“Fortunately, after seven years here,
I’ve seen a lot,” Johnston said. “I’ve gotten
to be on projects with each of these guys,
18 TPW July/August 2016
April Johnston, Public Works Pioneer
April Johnston may have reached an April Johnston, the new Street Superintendent for City of Athens Public Works, looks over documents in her
important milestone when she took office. Johnston started her new position last week after previously serving as Sanitation Coordinator.
over as the Athens Public Works Street Photo by Gabriel Garcia
Superintendent.
have learned a lot from them and I’m directors typically do,” Lindsey said,
According to Director Shawn Lindsey, looking forward to learning a lot more.” “or strong management backgrounds
the 36-year-old Athens native, who with master’s degrees or undergraduate
stepped up into the position vacated While a few women have risen to degrees in management or some other
when 44-year veteran Harvel Henry be Public Works directors in the state, field. But when you become a street
retired, became the first and only woman including Loretta Hopper in Signal superintendent, you’re typically working
in the state of Tennessee to hold that title Mountain, Lindsey still views Johnston’s your way up the ranks of Public Works.
in the field of Public Works. rise to the street superintendent position And so they’ll be on a crew for a while,
as significant in a field that has largely they’ll become a supervisor or a foreman
“I’ve got some big shoes to fill,” said been male-dominated until the last few and then they get promoted to street
Johnston, looking back and ahead in years. superintendent. And because we have
adjusting to her new occupation. not had women in Public Works for that
“Twenty-five years ago you didn’t even long, it’s pretty rare.”
It’s a position she’s built up to for seven see women in Public Works,” Lindsey
years in the Public Works Department. said. “And so having a woman street And for Johnston, working up the
Previously, Johnston had been the superintendent is something special. We ranks meant a lot of the dirty work in
Sanitation Coordinator, during which have women in Public Works now, and the field of Public Works, according to
she directed the collection of residential had them for a while now, but as far as Lindsey.
and commercial garbage, plus managed I know, there’s not been a female street
the Recycling Center and the Pride Car superintendent.” “Most of the work that we did is
program, worked with Keep McMinn something a lot of people don’t want to
Beautiful and organized volunteer Significant about the street do,” Lindsey said. “Dirty work like in
projects. superintendent position, in particular, is the back of a garbage truck, working a
a path different from the one a director jackhammer, digging ditches, working
“Time has flown by, and I love it typically takes into their position. out in the hot sun all day or in the cold
out here,” Johnston said. “Every day is weather all day. It was an industry that
different, and I love that about Public “We do have at least two Public was predominantly male-oriented,
Works, that we do something different all Works directors in the state who are but also wasn’t very popular and not
the time.” females and typically they have civil
engineering degrees, as Public Works
As street superintendent, Johnston
oversees some of what she had done
in her previous position and a whole
lot more. Working with Lindsey, she
will oversee all eight divisions in the
department, including sanitation,
administration, street maintenance,
street construction, street cleaning, traffic
control, fleet maintenance and animal
control.
Johnston’s seven years of experience
include working every area of the Public
Works Department, even though her
previous position had her focused mostly
on sanitation.
“She has been a sanitation coordinator,
but she worked every area of Public
Works,” Lindsey said. “She’s been in
customer service helping us organize the
department.”
And that overall knowledge will help
Johnston in her new role.
“Fortunately, after seven years here,
I’ve seen a lot,” Johnston said. “I’ve gotten
to be on projects with each of these guys,
18 TPW July/August 2016
