Page 23 - May-June 2023 Vol 41 No 1

KNOXVILLE By Chad Weth
PW Spotlight: Chad Weth

Director of Public Service

Tell us about yourself, your career, and your made great strides by creating new hiring
family. Anything you are willing to share. practices, decreasing overtime costs,
My name is Chad Weth and I am improving efficiencies, and focusing more
currently the Director of Public Service on the health and safety of the employees.
for the City of Knoxville. I have been with Most recently we reorganized to have five
the City for over 16 years and have been service areas instead of six. We created
the director since September, 2015. I have geographic North, South, East, West and
a master’s degree from the University of Central service areas vs. our older six- zone
Tennessee at Chattanooga in Industrial/ models and changed to a week-of brush
Organizational Psychology. collection system. This created a system What roles do you currently have in APWA,
I have been married to Nicki Weth that made more sense to the public while TCAPWA?
for almost 19 years. Nicki is a Licensed also reorganizing resources to make the For the last three years I have been the
Clinical Social Worker for the Veteran’s zones more efficient. chair on the education committee. The
Administration Hospital here in How long have you worked in Public Works? biggest role for this is finding the presenters
Knoxville. I also have two children. Leyton What have your previous jobs been and for the annual conference. This past
is 16 and a sophomore at Bearden High what responsibilities did you have? year I also won the Roger Clark Award
School. He is a great soccer player, although I have been in Public Works now for for Excellence in Public Works. It was a
has taken this semester off and seems to be 14 years. I really enjoy the work. Most completely unexpected surprise. I always
enjoying his newfound freedom that comes people hope they don’t need a police and feel like there is more I can do to expand
with the ability to drive. And my daughter fire department, but everyone needs their on Public Works and the APWA.
is Harper, who is 11 and a fifth grader at AL garbage picked up, sewers to drain, water to
Lotts. Like most kids Harper loves spending flow, etc. Just imagine a city without Public How does your City support your work in
times with friends, 90% of it being on Works services. APWA?
facetime with an ipad, although I am doing I am an HR guy by trade, so my previous As mentioned, the City has participated
my best to make a golfer out of her. jobs were all in the HR field. Most people in APWA even prior to me coming
As for me, I love to golf and snow ask how that background has led me on board. We have an organizational
ski. We recently took a trip to Lake Tahoe to being director of a large operations membership so there are 25 employees
to ski. I enjoy skiing so much that when I department. I always tell them I am just who are active members in TCAPWA
first finished undergrad school I packed lucky I guess. I also say that I/O Psychology and several more that will assist. I try
up everything I owned and moved to is really a science of people and how they to encourage it amongst our team of
Colorado for two years to be a ski bum. I’d work. In Public Service, people are our employees to give back to the profession.
still be there if I didn’t have more ambition greatest asset. My degree helps me every How have you been able to transfer your
to do something with my life. Being a ski day in managing such a large department. experience from APWA to your work in your
bum is A LOT of fun! City or vice versa, how have you been able
Share your official title and what duties How did you find out about APWA, and how to take your experiences from your City to
did you get involved initially? ?
you perform currently. How many staff you The City of Knoxville, even before my the rest of the APWA community?
have, and what departments and work your arrival, were always involved with the It is a great organization and provides
team does. Highlight a new project you are APWA. I joined as soon as I was hired in the opportunity to get to know and talk
implementing or working on. March 2009. with several people from several other
I am the Public Service Director for cities who are all experiencing the same
the City of Knoxville. Public Service is During your time with APWA, what challenges. Whenever a peer contacts me, I
the third largest department in the City involvement have you have? always try to be as helpful as I can to share
behind Police and Fire. We have 291 I have presented multiple times at the information.
employees and around a $37 million annual TCAPWA conference. I always There always are things that I think we
operating budget. We have seven different enjoy sharing and also gaining knowledge do well in Knoxville and there are some
divisions within Public Service. They from others at these conferences. I also things that other cities do better than us.
include: Service Areas, Horticulture, have assisted with some articles for TPW If we can all work together and learn from
Construction, Facility Maintenance, Urban Magazine and always play a role in the others’ successes, then things tend to work
Forestry, Warehouse/Logistics, and Waste conference planning, although that role is much more smoothly. There is no reason
and Resources/ Solid Waste. Throughout considerably larger every four years when to reinvent the wheel if others have already
my time as director, Public Service has the conference is hosted in Knoxville. done it!

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