Cathy Stepp began as the City of Branson City Administrator on October 3, 2022. The City Administrator is hired by the Board of Aldermen to be the Chief Executive Officer of the City and is responsible for proper administration and management of the government business, officers and employees of the City. Stepp has extensive government administrative experience, most recently as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Administrator in the Great Lakes states for nearly 3 years during the Trump administration. She was responsible for over 1,000 employees, oversaw 6 states’ environmental protection programs, and ran the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program that implemented over $300 million in grants to restore and protect the water quality of the Great Lakes. Prior to that, she served as a Cabinet Secretary over the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for nearly 7 years; an agency that is responsible for all of the hunting and fishing regulations, state forests, state parks, law enforcement, and state trails, as well as the environmental permitting programs. There she was responsible for over 4,000 employees across the state and managed a budget of $500 million per year. Before her public sector executive experience, Stepp served as a state senator for four years. She and her husband started their own home building business, which they operated until its sale 14 years later. Stepp was appointed by Mayor Milton to serve on Branson’s Planning and Zoning Commission in 2021 where she served for a year and a half. She and her husband, Paul, chose Branson as their “forever home” in 2013 after experiencing Branson’s unique traditions of family-friendly entertainment, abundant natural resources, and love for veterans. They have two grown children. Cathy is passionate about making government work for the citizens, with an emphasis on transparency, accountability, and collaboration. She is a fiscal conservative with a keen understanding of the need to provide a solid return on the investments taxpayers make into their communities. |