Dawn Norton, left, will become Wilton’s next joint town and school CFO succeeding Anne Kelly-Lenz, who accepted a job in New Canaan in January.
Tyler Woods / Hearst Connecticut MediaWILTON — Just weeks after the combined town and schools chief financial officer Anne Kelly-Lenz announced she would be accepting a new role in neighboring New Canaan, First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice revealed her successor.
Dawn Norton, who has held financial positions within Ridgefield, New Canaan and Bridgeport, was unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen on Monday to fill the vacant role.
“I have to say, we were absolutely thrilled when we received this resume. I circulated it and everybody was very, very excited,” Vanderslice said Monday. “We couldn’t have asked for a better background.”
Norton started as New Canaan’s CFO in 2012 and remained there until 2017. In 2018, she was hired as the district business manager, equivalent to the CFO role, for Ridgefield Public Schools, where she is currently employed. She has also served as an interim director of finance and comptroller for Bridgeport.
The first selectwoman noted that Norton brings with her a bevy of both municipal and school experience, which boded well for the joint position.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s degree in management from Albertus Magnus College. Norton is also certified by the state for school business management.
“When we interviewed Anne Kelly-Lenz, you said ‘Wow, I think we’re done,’” Vanderslice said, noting that interviewing Town Planner Michael Wrinn left officials with the same feeling. “I’m happy to say that we felt the same way when we interviewed (Norton). We just all were immediately on the same page.”
Vanderslice went on to say that she and Kelly-Lenz consulted Norton in the past on numerous issues when they were unsure of how to approach something and wanted to know how other towns had handled it in the past.
“It was always, ‘I’ll give Dawn a call,’” Vanderslice said of her conversations with Kelly-Lenz on where to turn for advice. Kelly-Lenz became the finance director for Bridgeport in 2012, succeeding Norton after she had taken a role with New Canaan.
Norton is set to start in her Wilton post on March 14. She has given a 30-day notice to the Ridgefield Public Schools, according to Vanderslice, and will enjoy a brief vacation before taking the helm in Wilton.
“Big relief for me,” Vanderslice said.