Tuscaloosa Mayor Names Ashley Crites Executive Director of Urban Development

A long-time municipal employee has been named the city of Tuscaloosa's Executive Director of Urban Development by Mayor Walt Maddox.

In a Tuesday afternoon press release, the mayor's office said Crites has worked for the city since 2013, rising through the ranks of the planning division until she was named its director.

Get our free mobile app

The role Crites will step into was previously held by Brendan Moore, who Maddox promoted to be Tuscaloosa's Chief Operations Officer in March. Crites has served as the acting Executive Director of Urban Development since Moore's promotion.

“In her nine years with the City of Tuscaloosa, Ashley has played a critical role in the planning and development of our City,” Maddox said in a statement. “Her proven experience combined with her knowledge and expertise make her highly qualified for the role of Director of Urban Development. I am excited to welcome her to the leadership team and to see how the department will flourish under her direction.”

According to the release, Crites graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in public administration and earned a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Kansas. Before coming to work for Tuscaloosa, Crites was employed by the city of Springfield, Missouri and by the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning group.