Assistant City Manager Appointment

Date:   June 12, 2014

City Manager Jason Molino today announced his appointment of Gretchen DiFante as Assistant City Manager for the City of Batavia.  Mrs. DiFante was selected following a national search that resulted in 60 applicants.

As a 16-year resident of the City of Batavia, Gretchen has held senior executive roles in western New York businesses including: Director of Efficient Customer Support for Rich Products Corporation in Buffalo, Executive Vice President at P.W. Minor in Batavia and as Executive Director of Agape Counseling Associates in Rochester.  Gretchen also maintains a consulting business, StandOUT Results, in which she has worked with chief executive level clients to facilitate the development of data-based strategic plans and design and provide leadership training for senior and mid-level managers and supervisors in approximately 23 different industries.

Gretchen has served in several local leadership positions and is a current member of the Board of Education for the Batavia City School District.  She is also a veteran with the Air Force Reserves, graduate of the inaugural class of Leadership Genesee, past board member of the Genesee YMCA, Rochester Area Triathletes and currently serves as an advisory board member to the Citizens Against Teen Suicide (CATS) group in Rochester.

Pier Cipollone, 4th Ward Council member who participated in the interview process said, “I believe Gretchen has the management and leadership qualities that will allow her to assimilate into her new role easily.  She has a familiarity with city staff and along with her abilities as a skilled facilitator should enable her to become productive almost immediately.  I believe she will be a great asset to the City.”

City Manager Jason Molino added, “Gretchen has unique leadership skills that enable her to easily gain trust at every level within an organization while also being able to quickly understand and strategically assess the operations in multiple industries.”  She has provided periodic consulting to the City of Batavia over the past four years and was instrumental in helping to develop, expand and evaluate the City’s strategic plan that was recently awarded the Strategic leadership & Governance Program Excellence Award from the International City/County Management Association.

“As a resident and business owner, Gretchen has built very successful relationships with many businesses and organizations not only in Batavia and Genesee County, but throughout western and upstate New York,” said Molino. “When Gretchen’s leadership skills and experience were combined with her great sense of passion and enthusiasm to serve this community, she quickly became the obvious choice to join our management team.  I am looking forward to working with her in achieving the City’s vision.”

Gretchen lives with her husband, David, a Sergeant in the Rochester Police Department, and they have five children: Lauren (21), stationed with the Air Force at Nellis AFB in Nevada; John (20), a student at Genesee Community College; Nina (17), a graduating senior at Batavia High School; Elena (13) and Ava (9) who are in seventh and third grade at Batavia Middle School and John Kennedy respectively.  Gretchen and her family are members of Northgate Free Methodist Church in Batavia where Gretchen periodically volunteers time to conduct job search and interviewing workshops for newly graduated college students and adults seeking employment.  Gretchen holds a BA in Communications from Auburn University and a MS in Management from Keuka College.

Gretchen will begin transitioning to the position in early July and will be full time by the first week of September at an annual salary of $75,950.

City Manager Jason Molino encourages all Batavia residents to celebrate this appointment and welcome Gretchen to her new position.