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Springfield hires two top officials from city of Ozark

KSMU | By Gregory Holman
Published November 21, 2023 at 6:17 AM CST
Steve Childers
Courtesy City of Ozark
Steve Childers

Five-and-a-half months after the abrupt departure by resignation of Springfield’s previous planning and development director, the city of Springfield announced last Friday that Steve Childers will take the role, effective January 2.

Samantha Payne
Courtesy City of Springfield
Samantha Payne

Childers worked as city administrator for the Christian County town of Ozark since 2007.

The Springfield planning director supervises 25 city staffers and directs efforts related to the city's comprehensive plan, Forward SGF, along with advising the city manager and other community stakeholders.

Childers is not the only recent Springfield hire to come out of Ozark city administration.

Three days before announcing Childers’ new job, Springfield also announced that a former deputy city manager for Ozark, Samantha Payne, recently joined an extension of the Springfield city manager’s office as a development project facilitator.

Copyright 2023 KSMU. To see more, visit KSMU.

Missouri news
Gregory Holman