St. Joseph’s new assistant city manager is settling into the position after about a week on the job. City commissioners hired Emily Hackworth this month and she was introduced to the public at a commission meeting Monday. Hackworth tells us she comes to St. Joe from New York City, but that’s not where she’s originally from.
“I grew up in Indiana, so I’m actually not that far from home,” Hackworth said. “I went to graduate school for public administration and then spent about 13 years working for the City of New York in various positions at a couple of agencies and spent most of my time working in the mayor’s office.”
Hackworth worked in the non-profit sector for about three years before winding up in St. Joseph with her husband, who is from the area. She says what started as a possible temporary arrangement during the pandemic became permanent when the two decided they loved it here. Her focus for the city is now on downtown issues.
“There’s a downtown vision masterplan that’s in place, and there’s a lot that the DDA wants to push forward. So, one of the first tasks that I have is to really focus on that.”
Hackworth says city leaders want someone focused on the downtown, and she’s tackling related issues now, meeting with the DDA. She was chosen for the assistant city manager position out of 17 applicants for the job.
