Kevin Brownlee Hired as New Deputy City Manager

HOT SPRINGS – The City of Hot Springs welcomes Kevin Brownlee as Deputy City Manager (DCM), effective January 6, 2020.

Brownlee was appointed by City Manager Bill Burrough following a national search with Burrough, Minnie Lennox, Lance Spicer and Brian Albright serving on the hiring committee.

“I am very happy to be in this position with the city. It’s an exciting time for Hot Springs, and I’m looking forward to do all I can to help with the growth and forward momentum,” said Brownlee.

His core responsibility will be to oversee the following City departments: Engineering, Parks and Trails, Public Works (Street, Traffic, Stormwater, Urban Forestry and Property Maintenance), Sports Recreation, Utilities (Water and Wastewater) and Utility Billing Services. His other duties as DCM will be tailored to his background and interests.

Brownlee brings to the City 25 years of management experience, and describes himself as a “hands-on executive known for deliberate and focused approach to strategic and visionary servant leadership.” From September 2009 to August 2019, he was chief executive officer of South Central Arkansas Electric Cooperative. He reorganized business and processes to maximize operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. He started a new organization – South Central Connect – as a subsidiary of the electric co-op to offer fiber services to their service area. He also negotiated an acquisition and managed the installation of a one-megawatt solar array, achieving more than a 9% return on investment.

During his 10-year tenure with the co-op out of Arkadelphia, Brownlee has been a resident of Hot Springs with his wife, Kathy, and two children, Bryce and Meredith.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from Charleston Southern University in Charleston, South Carolina, and a Master of Business Administration from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.