Concord welcomes new chief financial officer, assistant town manager

By Celeste Katz Marston  Celeste@theconcordbridge.org
December 23, 2023

Concord is closing out 2023 with a new chief financial officer and assistant town manager.  

New CFO Anthony Ansaldi most recently served as Littleton’s town administrator. He succeeds former Concord Chief Financial Officer Gail Dowd, who left in July.  

“We had a strong response to our posting and interviewed a terrific field of candidates,” said Town Manager Kerry Lafleur in a statement.  

“Anthony stood out for his breadth of experience and versatility which touches on all aspects of the CFO position and will be an asset to the finance team and the Concord community.” 

Ansaldi served as Wenham’s town administrator before returning to Littleton, where he had previously served as assistant town administrator.  

In 2022, Ansaldi had reportedly been on the short list to become town manager of Winchester. 

Ansaldi holds a Master of Public Administration and a graduate certificate in local government leadership and management from Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School.   

As CFO, Ansaldi, who has more than 20 years of professional experience, also serves as Concord’s treasurer-collector. That department handles the billing and collection of real estate and motor vehicle excise taxes, among other duties. 

Assistant town manager 

In her new role as assistant town manager, a job for which Lafleur said she is “well prepared,” Jessica Porter will work with departments including Human Resources, Recreation, Senior Services, Veterans’ Services, Risk Management and Community Services. 

In a career spanning 15 years of municipal experience, Porter has served as human resources director for the towns of Andover and Belmont, overseeing collective bargaining, benefits and recruiting.  

Porter was also previously assistant town manager of Bedford, where her duties included managing affordable housing-related activities. 

She holds a Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University.  

Porter additionally remains chair of Chelmsford’s Personnel Board.