August 28, 2020
Media Contact:
Scott Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
Tom Meunier named Director of Public Works, Rafiu Ighile named Director of Finance
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Today, County Executive Calvin Ball announced Tom Meunier as the new Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) and Rafiu Ighile as the new Director of the Department of Finance. The appointments are effective on August 31st and September 7th, respectively.
“Our Department of Public Works and Department of Finance oversee many facets of local government that impact our residents daily,” said Ball. “These positions are critical to the effectiveness of Howard County, and my sincere gratitude again to Jim and Janet Irvin, who collectively served Howard County for more than 45 years in these roles before their retirement in June. Tom has been a steady presence at DPW for many years, including serving as the Incident Commander for both the 2016 and 2018 Ellicott City floods. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead DPW as we work towards creating a more sustainable environment and building reliable infrastructure in Howard County. I’m also pleased to welcome Rafiu back to Howard County Government as the Department of Finance Director. His innovative initiatives to manage debt and cash, and his deep knowledge of our County will be critical as we navigate a looming economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Meunier has more than 37 years of experience in civil engineering, including serving as the Director of Public Works for Frederick County, as the Howard County Chief for the Bureau of Highways, and most recently as Assistant to the Director in the Director’s Office. The Department of Public Works Director provides leadership and coordination among the five Bureaus to advance the quality of life for our community by providing an exceptional level of public service.
“I’m thrilled to be selected by County Executive Ball to be the next Director of Department of Public Works,” said Tom Meunier. “The Department of Public Works is a very diverse group with over 500 committed and dedicated employees and I’m proud to be given the opportunity to lead them. Each and every one of them is vital to achieving our department goals from the Bureaus of Utilities, Engineering, Environmental Services, Highways, Facilities and the Director’s Office. With these dedicated employees, I look forward to continuing DPW’s mission of advancing the quality of life for our community by providing an exceptional level of public service.”
Ighile has more than 30 years of accounting experience in government, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations, including previous positions with the Howard County Public School System as Chief Financial Officer, and in the Howard County Department of Finance as Deputy Director. The Department of Finance ensures that the County’s financial resources are collected, protected, invested and distributed in a fiscally responsible manner. It also provides financial services to a wide range of constituents including residents, taxpayers, businesses, and agencies.
“Thank you to County Executive Calvin Ball for the appointment,” said Rafiu Ighile. “I am excited to have the opportunity to come back to the County and continue the wonderful work the County does for its stakeholders and citizens. The Howard County Department of Finance is one of the best in the nation as exemplified by maintaining a AAA bond rating on behalf of county taxpayers for 23 years in a row. It is an honor to work with such a talented group of finance professionals and I look forward to maintaining and progressing this department’s incredible level of excellence.”
Bio of Tom Meunier
Tom Meunier is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Maryland with over 37 years of experience in Civil Engineering in both the private and public sectors. Meunier began his career with Frederick County Government as an Engineer and eventually became Director of Public Works for three years before retiring from Frederick County in 2013. Meunier then worked for a private consultant for a year before returning to government and accepting a role as Chief of the Bureau of Highways with Howard County in 2014. He was the DPW Incident Commander for both the 2016 and 2018 Ellicott City floods and orchestrated the rebuilding of Main Street and surrounding flood damage areas. In October 2018 moved into the DPW Director’s Office as the Assistant to the Director and currently the County project manager on the County’s first P3 project, Circuit Court for Howard County Courthouse.
Bio of Rafiu Ighile
Rafiu O. Ighile is a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA who has more than 30 years of accounting experience in government, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Ighile was most recently the Director of Finance and Administration for the City of Gaithersburg, where here oversaw the Finance, Budget and Procurement functions. Before joining the City of Gaithersburg, Ighile worked for Howard Public School System (HCPSS) as their Chief Financial Officer. While working as CFO for the Howard County Public School System, managed Finance, Budget, Benefits, and Technology functions. Implemented the use of Chromebooks for the schools with a student population of more than 59,000 to ensure that all students easily had access to the technology needed for their education.
He also previously served as the Deputy Director of Finance for Howard County Government where he established a Debt and Cash Management function for the County to effectively manage the debt issuance and investment portfolio with total assets of over $600 million. Ighile attended the University of Pennsylvania and The Wharton School for the Advanced Investment Management Program. He and his wife Eki, live in Burtonsville, MD with their six daughters.