Spencer Mitchell is the city of Urbana's newly-hired director of administration.
Mitchell replaces Kerry Brugger, who retired recently. Brugger served as the director of administration from February of 2012 until Sept. 19 of this year.
Mitchell, a Graham High School graduate who majored in business management at Wright State University, is no stranger to municipal administration in the area.
Prior to joining the city of Urbana, Mitchell worked for the village of St. Paris, from 2017 to 2025. He was in the public works department until being named village administrator in October of 2018.
"My first major challenge was to oversee the construction of the new water treatment plant for St. Paris," Mitchell said. "This project was a direct result of the community's financial commitment to improving the quality of the water being produced and distributed to its residents. It took the hard work of prior village councils, mayor and specifically former Village Administrator Joe Sampson, who spearheaded the efforts needed to turn this idea into a reality."
Mitchell said the water treatment plant was put into operation in the spring of 2019. In 2023, at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting contest, based in West Virginia, St. Paris was voted "Best Tasting Water in the U.S." and finished 3rd in the world. There were samples submitted by over 100 countries across four continents.
"During that time, I helped initiate a collaboration between the village of St. Paris and Graham High School students that focused on the GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping of the village's water and sewer infrastructure. We partnered with OTCO (Operator Training Committee of Ohio) to create an internship program, assisting students to become trained on how to operate and capture longitude and latitude coordinates for our asset management program. This partnership helped collect data that is still being used as part of the village of St. Paris' Asset Management program."
During his time in St. Paris, Mitchell said the village was were able to secure multiple grants that have contributed to community improvement projects: West Lynn Street ($500,000 grant through the Ohio Public Works Commission) and the U.S. 36 Waterline Replacement Project ($1.5 million grant through the Ohio Department of Development).
"I'm proud of the relationships that I developed during my time in St. Paris. I'm appreciative of being given the opportunity to lead improvement efforts in my hometown," Mitchell said.
Excited to be in Urbana
When asked about the city of Urbana's future, Mitchell said the city - through its centuries of planned progression - remains poised to welcome future expansion, business growth and community well-being.
"The insight, planning and mindful use of available dollars continue to offer existing and future residents a convenient, safe, and comfortable place to live, work and play," he said.
"During his tenure here at Urbana, from my perspective, Kerry Brugger's leadership and vision, along with that of Mayor Bill Bean, city council and staff, resulted in many wonderful improvements for the city. I was fortunate to get to know Kerry a little bit during my time in St. Paris, as well as getting to work alongside him during his last few weeks prior to his retirement," Mitchell said. "I'm excited to continue building on the foundation that he and the team established over the years. It is clear to me that the administration for the city of Urbana had a commitment to improve Urbana's aging infrastructure. That commitment will continue; and we will strive forward, working toward effective and efficient ways to improve our infrastructure, as well as providing other high-quality services to the community."
Mitchell distinguished what makes a career in the public sector unique compared to the private sector.
'One of the many things I have learned during my time in the public sector is that it's about people," he said. "It's about building and strengthening relationships with people. I'm thrilled for the opportunity to continue enhancing the relationship between the city of Urbana and the rest of Champaign County. After all, Champaign County is home.
"We are very fortunate to have talented, hard-working and caring staff members in a variety of different departments and divisions; from our police, fire, law, public works, engineering, community development, finance, parks, the airport and Oak Dale Cemetery; we are a team. I put a very strong emphasis on the team concept because I believe more can be accomplished when we are working together toward the common goal. Our goal is and will continue to be centered around keeping Urbana a safe, comfortable and enjoyable place to live, work and play."
Champaign County is Mitchell's home
Mitchell and his wife, Andi, were both born and raised in Champaign County. They are raising their three children (Jack, A.J. & Bo) here in the county, in the Graham Local School District.
The Mitchell family is very active in athletics. "Whether it be a field, a court or a course, we enjoy watching our kids compete. Since 2021, I've had the pleasure of coaching the high school baseball team at Graham. It's been a very rewarding experience, having the opportunity to work with some amazing kids and assistant coaches over the years. This past spring, our team advanced to the state championship game for the first time in over 30 years. That season was filled with so many great memories for our players and families to cherish for a long time. Seeing the community rally around a group of kids was incredible."
Outside of being involved with athletics, the Mitchell family enjoys spending time together as a family.
"We are proud to be here in Champaign County. Champaign County is home."