Medford Names Next Finance Director

MEDFORD, MA — Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn has named Nantucket Assistant Town Accountant Robert Dickinson the next director of finance in Medford.

Dickinson, selected after a six-month search process, will transition to the new role as he wraps up his duties in Nantucket. He will oversee Medford's finance department and lead the coordination and implementation of the city's $192 million budget.

"Bob has the comprehensive skillset, experience and keen financial eye that will make him an integral member of our finance team," Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. "I am so thrilled that he will be joining us and bringing his unique budgeting perspective and strong work-ethic to our city."

The city posted the opening in July after the resignation of Aleesha Nunley Benjamin, who alleged a hostile work environment on the part of the mayor and her former chief of staff. An independent investigator later determined neither party violated the city's anti-harassment policy.

Dickinson has spent more than a decade in Nantucket's finance department, serving as accounting clerk from 2006-2011 and assistant town accountant since March 2011. On Nantucket, Dickinson oversaw cash, accounts receivable and withholdings reconciliations, in addition to helping develop the town's $97 million budget. He managed the town's accounting system, Munis, and developed annual town audits and tax recaps.

"I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with the administration to craft a budget and help set priorities and fiscal goals for the city," Dickinson said in a statement. "The mayor has an ambitious vision for Medford, and I can’t wait to get to work to make it a reality."

Dickinson, a certified governmental accountant by the Massachusetts Municipal Auditors' and Accountants Association, has a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and earned a master's degree in Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management.