Canton appoints Mark J. Penney as new Chief Administrative Officer

Town Clerk Tracy Morrocco swears in new Canton Chief Administrative Officer Mark Penney. Next to Penney are his daughters Hannah and Charlotte and wife Christine. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Witkos)

Submitted release

The Canton Board of Selectmen is pleased to announce the hiring of Mark J. Penney as Canton’s next Chief Administrative Officer, following the retirement of longtime CAO, Robert Skinner. The Board of Selectmen officially voted to hire Penney at its meeting on October 23, 2024. Penney will start his new role as CAO on Monday, October 28, 2024.

Mr. Penney has a career which spans over 40 years in federal, state and municipal organizations. He served as a Sergeant in law enforcement for 20 years before joining the City of Bristol as their Director of Human Resources. Mr. Penney was also a First Sergeant in the Connecticut Air National Guard when he retired after 28 years of service. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Connecticut, a Juris Doctor, with a concentration in Employment Law, from Quinnipiac University School of Law, and is a Certified Municipal Officer through the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. Mr. Penney resides in Canton with his wife, Christine, and two daughters, Charlotte and Hannah.

Mr. Penney says that his first order of business when he arrives in Canton will be to meet with the town staff and to engage with the community. First Selectman Kevin Witkos said that “Canton is lucky to have a forward thinking, highly educated, devoted family man who resides in Canton to lead Canton in the future. We have many things to accomplish with limited funds and I believe Mark is the right man for the job.”

More to come.