Public Works Director Mike Barton is retiring on March 30, and he was honored with a plaque and a resolution at the start of the Wake Forest Town Board meeting Tuesday night. He was hired by the department in 1998 and was selected as its director in 2002.
At the end of the meeting, Town Manager Kip Padgett introduced two new hires, and one is Magda Holloway, who is the new public works director. She began work Monday, March 19, and will shadow Barton until the end of next week, learning the new job.
She has a lot of experience. Town Human Resources Director Virginia Jones said Holloway has been the operations supervisor for the southwest district in Charlotte since 2016. Before that she was the street superintendent for the City of Sanford and the public works director for the Town of Oak Island.
“After a thorough recruitment and interview process, I am pleased to announce Magda Holloway as our next public works director,” Padgett said in a press release Wednesday. “She brings a tremendous amount of public works experience that is sure to benefit Wake Forest and its citizens.”
Holloway will be responsible for directing a variety of public works and public utilities activities including cemetery, street maintenance and repair, electric distribution, and environmental and equipment services. She will supervise 64 employees and oversee an operating budget of $29 million.
Holloway holds a bachelor’s degree in textile management. She is a NC Roads Scholar, Advanced Roads Scholar, and most recently became one of North Carolina’s first Master Roads Scholars through NC State’s Local Technical Assistance Program.
The former president of the Streets Division for the NC American Public Works Association, she currently serves as the membership chair for the NC chapter.
The wife of a Wake Forest native, Holloway is the mother of three children. Her hobbies include painting, crafts, singing and cooking.
