TERRY ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENTS

TERRY ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENTS

December 30, 2023

Mayor-Elect Stephanie Terry today continued announcing appointments to the team of city leaders who will join her administration in the new year.

“Today, I’m excited to welcome a  group of strong, talented leaders who are new to Evansville’s city government, including the team who will work alongside me in the mayor’s office,” Mayor-Elect Terry said. “For the past several weeks, our transition team has been working diligently to identify the best team to help us build the best version of Evansville, and I believe we have achieved that goal – and have even drawn some tremendous talent from the region to come here and join us in moving Evansville forward together.”

The appointments are:

Lindsay Locasto, Deputy Mayor: Lindsay Locasto has served the past two years as the President of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and was the past Executive Director of the Downtown Henderson Partnership. She brings a wealth of experience in working with the public and private business sectors as well as fostering community engagement. Her tenure in these roles has been marked by a commitment to promoting the growth of Henderson’s Downtown area and strengthening the business community in Henderson County. She is also a co-founder of the local non-profit, 7 Sisters, an organization whose mission is to stop the stigma of addiction and bring awareness of recovery options in the tristate. Lindsay is originally from Newburgh, IN. and will be moving back to Evansville for the role of Deputy Mayor.

Robert Gunter, City Controller: Robert Gunter has been the finance director for Henderson, Kentucky since 2004. His prior experience includes serving as finance director for West Memphis, Arkansas for seven years, and as field auditor for the Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit for six years. Robert has served as a trustee for the Kentucky League of Cities Investment Pool (KLCIP), was president-elect for the Kentucky Finance Officers Association (KGFOA) and has volunteered as a budget award reviewer for the Government Finance Officer Association (GFOA) since 2009. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arkansas Tech University, a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the University of Southern Indiana and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Joe Atkinson, Communications Director: Joe Atkinson has spent the past 16 years at the University of Evansville, where he served as Director of News Services and Director of Digital Media before joining the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Communication.  During that time, he also has served as president of both the Friends of Willard Library Board of Directors and the Evansville Civic Theatre Board of Directors, and has worked as a documentary filmmaker, earning Ohio Valley Regional Emmy nominations for the five-episode documentary series Epidemic: Addiction in Middle America and for the documentary feature film From the Ashes: The University of Evansville Purple Aces. Atkinson earned his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Ohio University, his Master of Public Service Administration from the University of Evansville, and his Master of Fine Arts in Writing at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Amanda Joest, Executive Assistant: Amanda Joest is a graduate of Ivy Tech Community College, holding degrees in both Business Administration and Hospitality Management. Her academic journey included active involvement in various organizations, notably Student Government, where she honed her leadership skills, earning recognition with the prestigious Athena International Scholarship. With more than 19 years of experience in front-line and customer service across public and private sectors, complemented by 11 years as an Executive Assistant, she brings a wealth of expertise. She also is a devoted mother of twins who expresses her creativity through culinary pursuits, crafting, and volunteer work with the Evansville Audubon Society.