Mayor-Elect Mary Ferdon announced today that Eric Frey will serve as the Executive Director of Administration for the City of Columbus effective January 1, 2024. Supporting the Ferdon administration, Frey will oversee multiple city departments, and key strategic initiatives such as the city’s involvement in Mental Health Matters, ASAP, housing initiatives, and more.

Frey served as the executive director of Administrative Resources association (ARa), a Columbus-based nonprofit municipal owned association, since 2001 and as a member of ARa’s staff since 1994. At ARa, Frey served 16 communities with over 135,000 Southeast Indiana residents for decades, dozens of mayors, and assisted in securing funding and managing more than $200 million in municipal projects.

“Eric is no stranger to city hall and he’s had a great head-start on this new role,” said Mary Ferdon, Mayor-Elect. “He has played a supporting role in city government for 30 years and is well-respected both in Columbus and across the region for his ability to administer important projects vital to our community.”

“I have loved supporting Columbus and southern Indiana over the past three decades through my work at ARa and I’m honored to continue this work in a different capacity alongside Mayor Ferdon as she seeks to build upon the accomplishments of Mayor Lienhoop’s eight-year administration,” said Eric Frey, incoming Executive Director of Administration. “Columbus is in very good hands.”

In addition to his work-related projects for the City of Columbus, Frey has served as a volunteer on multiple boards and commissions and is the current chair of the Columbus Housing Authority board of directors. Frey graduated from Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He worked in county and state government before moving to Columbus in 1994.