Pete Giesen appointed as interim Olmsted County administrator
July 17, 2024
At the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners meeting on July 16, 2024, the board appointed Pete Giesen as interim Olmsted County administrator. He will officially begin serving in this role on July 29, 2024. Heidi Welsch announced her resignation as county administrator on July 9, 2024. Her last day with the county will be July 26, 2024.
As interim county administrator, Giesen will make recommendations to the county board, implement county policies, provide leadership to the Olmsted County government organization, and ensure effective delivery of county services.
Giesen has worked for Olmsted County for more than 40 years. Since 2017, he has served as deputy county administrator of the Internal Services division, and more recently, the Physical Development division. Departments in this division include Environmental Resources, Facilities and Building Operations, Parks, Planning, Property Records and Licensing, Public Works, and the Soil and Water Conservation District.
Most of Giesen’s career was spent working in Public Health in various capacities, including as director of Public Health from 2011-2017.
“Pete is an exceptionally kind and consistent leader,” noted Welsch. “I am confident he will provide strength and stability to the organization through this transition.”
“With Pete Giesen, Olmsted County has the good fortune to have a respected, trusted, and experienced leader who is fully prepared and able to serve as interim county administrator,” said Olmsted County Board of Commissioners Chair Sheila Kiscaden.
Interim deputy administrator of Physical Development
With Giesen stepping into the interim county administrator role, Mary Blair-Hoeft will be serving as interim deputy administrator of the county’s Physical Development division.
Since April 2022, Blair-Hoeft has been serving as director of Olmsted County’s Property Records and Licensing (PRL) department. Prior to joining Olmsted County, Mary worked for the City of Byron for 24 years, including 13 years as the city administrator.
While Blair-Hoeft is serving in this interim deputy administrator capacity, she will continue to lead PRL with enhanced assistance by the PRL associate directors.
County administrator job posting
The Olmsted County administrator job posting is now live, and applications will be accepted through August 5, 2024. As previously communicated, the job is open to both internal and external candidates. A selection committee will choose 5-7 candidates for a first round of interviews. A second round of interviews will take place with the county board to select the top candidate.
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Media Contact: Rachel Wick, Communications Specialist, 507-328-6537