COLUMBUS, Ind. – Mayor-Elect Mary Ferdon announced Monday that Eric Frey will serve as the Executive Director of Administration for the City of Columbus effective January 1, 2024. 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 has been the executive director of the Administrative Resources association (ARa), a Columbus-based nonprofit, since 2001, and has worked there since 1994. At ARa, Frey served 16 communities with over 135,000 southeast Indiana residents and dozens of mayors. He 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 Mayor-elect Mary Ferdon. “He has played a supporting role in city government for 30 years and is well-respected in Columbus and across the region for his ability to administer 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 builds upon the accomplishments of Mayor Lienhoop’s eight-year administration,” said Frey.
In addition to his work-related projects for the City of Columbus, Frey has volunteered 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.
