Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
NEWBURYPORT — The city’s newest health director, Kelechi Obika, will begin his tenure Monday, Mayor Sean Reardon announced during a City Council meeting.
Obika, who last worked in the Hopkinton Health Department as its health services agent, succeeds Laura Vlasuk, who left the city in May to take a similar job in Malden.
On June 16, Obika was one of three finalists interviewed by the Board of Health during a special meeting at the Newburyport police station. A day later, Obika was offered the job after a vote by the board.
Reardon said Monday all three candidates were “strong.”
“I really thought any one of them could have done the job and done it well, but Kelechi clearly rose to the top with his energy, his enthusiasm and he brings a great educational background,” Reardon told city councilors.
Obika, a Lowell resident, has been Hopkinton’s health services agent since 2021. In that capacity, he promotes, implements and enforces the town’s public health program; investigates and follows up on complaints about housing, food establishments, pools, public nuisances and environmental concerns; and oversees the department when the health director is absence, among other duties, according to his resume.
Before Hopkinton, Obika worked as a health inspector for North Andover for a year. He received a master’s degree in public health from UMass-Lowell in spring 2023 and a bachelor’s degree in the same discipline from the same school in 2019.
He is slated to earn $96,000 a year, according to Reardon.
Obika, in a statement, said he was drawn to Newburyport’s thriving restaurant scene, great energy and enthusiasm, and welcoming environment for families and singles.
“With so much activity, the city longs for a public health program that addresses the most relevant needs of the residents and visitors alike,” Obika said.
Overseen by the Newburyport Board of Health, the health director is responsible for all public health matters in the city, including infectious disease response, health and food service inspections, hazardous waste disposal and tobacco control.
Vlasuk joined the city in January 2022 and was the first department head hired by Reardon. As the first woman to lead the Newburyport Health Department, Vlasuk filled a vacancy created by the departure of Health Director Frank Giacalone.
In other personnel news, Reardon said the UMass Collins Center would help the city search for its next Department of Public Services director. The department is under the leadership of interim Director John Kerry after former Director Wayne Amaral left for a similar job in Salem, New Hampshire, late last month.
“We did this last time, two years ago, Reardon told councilors Monday night. “We wanted to wait and see what kind of resumes we received, but we haven’t gotten any we felt were ready to the next stages like interviews and those things. So we thought it was a good time to reach out to the UMass Collins Center. This an incredibly important position that we’re trying to fill.”
Daily News reporter Matt Petry contributed to this story.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.