Key Promotions, Hire For Middletown
KEY PROMOTIONS, HIRE FOR MIDDLETOWN
MIDDLETOWN, RI (SEPTEMBER 8, 2026) – Middletown announced two key promotions and an exciting hire Tuesday night.
For the first time in Middletown’s history, Patrick Guthlein will serve as the town’s Deputy Town Administrator, a position created in the Fiscal 2027 budget. The understated, popular Guthlein has worked as the town’s Deputy Finance Director for the past several years.
Liz Rogers will move into Guthlein’s former role with the town’s Finance Department. The driven, diligent Rogers has served as Accounting Manager for the town for a number of years.
In related news, Carmela Geer was named the town’s new Health Services Coordinator. A beloved figure in Middletown, Geer has led the Edward King House senior center in Newport. She takes over the reimagined Outreach Department leadership position vacated over the summer by Lori Turner.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the news about Patrick, Liz and Carm,” Town Council President Paul M. Rodrigues said. “Each has shown a true dedication to Middletown over the years and I’ve always been a firm believer in promoting from within anytime we have the right person for the job and I have no doubt each with continue to do great things for our community.”
Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown credited the town’s Human Resources staff — led by Kim Andersen — with overseeing the successful personnel drive.
“These are all key positions for us,” Brown said. “Under the guidance of the council, we’ve had a lot of extremely positive returns from hiring from within, Chief Ryan, Chief McCall being the latest examples of existing staff who’ve moved their departments in a positive direction for our entire community.”
Citing the increased demands of the job, the Deputy Town Administrator position was established in the current Fiscal 2027 budget for the first time in Middletown. Guthlein will report directly to Brown and assume administrative leadership of the town on an as needed basis.
“Anyone who’s met and spoken with Patrick can see this position is perfect for him,” Brown said. “While his hard work and attention to detail will be missed in our finance office, his easygoing, straightforward style will benefit all of Middletown in his new capacity.”
Brown spoke glowingly of Rogers and her experience both in the corporate sector as well as her time with the town and other nonprofits.
Marc Tanguay heads the Middletown Finance Department, which oversees the financial operations for both the town and schools.
“Liz has done an excellent job tightening up our processes and streamlining what we do in the Finance Department,” Brown said. “Our goal continues to be to offer the most transparent, efficiently run Shared Finance Office in the state and Liz’s experience and proven track record will only assist with that important work.”
A familiar face around Middletown, Geer worked for years with the schools in an outreach and assistance capacity before taking over the Newport senior center. Under her leadership, the King Street facility flourished, adding new programming, membership and relevance for area seniors and others.
Geer said it was going to be tough to leave, but when the opportunity to work in Middletown arose, it was too good to pass up. She is expected to begin her new job this month.
“I’m going to miss all the people and connections I made in Newport and it’s a chapter in my life I’m never going to ever forget,” Geer said. “I think it’s pretty obvious it was more than a job for me and I know I’m going to bring the same energy, compassion and spirit to what we’re going to do in Middletown.”
Brown pointed to Geer’s involvement with The Situation Table, Gaudet emergency shelter and other local groups that will allow a seamless transition into her new position.
“We had a number of good candidates apply and Carm’s name rose to the top,” Brown said. “There’s honestly no one suited better for this job than her and we all can’t wait to see how she elevates our Outreach Department to even greater heights.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Announce
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
Media Contact
Matt Sheley
Public Affairs Officer
401-842-6543
msheley@middletownri.gov
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
