The Town of Grand Chute has officially selected seasoned municipal executive Travis Parish to serve as its next town administrator, marking the conclusion of an extended search process to fill the community’s chief executive post. Parish, who currently leads the neighboring community of Greenville as its village administrator, is scheduled to formally assume his new municipal duties in Grand Chute on Oct. 19.
The decisive action came during a meeting on Sept. 15, when the Grand Chute Town Board formally voted to approve Parish’s employment agreement. Under the provisions approved by the governing board, Parish will receive a starting base salary of $161,408 per year to manage the town's daily governmental operations, guide departmental staff, and oversee municipal administration.
To ensure a seamless administrative handover, the Town Board also authorized an extension of the employment agreement for Greg Peterson, who has been steering local administration on an interim basis. Peterson’s interim contract has been extended through Oct. 20, establishing a two-day operational overlap that allows both administrators to collaborate directly during the leadership transition.
Parish brings two decades of administrative experience in municipal governance across the state of Wisconsin to his new appointment. Over the course of his 20-year career, he has specialized in executive leadership, local public administration, intergovernmental relations, and managing organizational changes within growing local communities.
In his most recent role, Parish served as the first-ever village administrator for Greenville after being hired to that position in 2021. During his tenure there, he played an instrumental role in guiding the local government through a historic organizational transition as Greenville shifted its legal status from a traditional town structure into an incorporated village.
Prior to his appointment in Greenville, Parish accumulated substantial executive leadership experience working for the community of Harrison. His professional record in Harrison included managing municipal operations when it functioned as a town, as well as navigating the community through its formal municipal incorporation into a village in 2013.
Earlier in his public service career, Parish honed his administrative skills as the town administrator of Campbell, located in La Crosse County in western Wisconsin. His practical background in local governance is complemented by formal academic credentials, including a bachelor’s degree in public policy and administration earned from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Interim Town Administrator Greg Peterson noted that Parish’s extensive track record and familiar presence in the region made him an exceptionally compelling candidate for the Town Board. Peterson explained that the board was particularly impressed by Parish’s 15 years of direct executive experience within the surrounding Fox Cities region.
According to Peterson, Parish’s long-standing familiarity with regional municipal challenges and his established professional ties with Outagamie County officials were decisive factors. Peterson emphasized that Parish's strong working relationships with leaders in neighboring Fox Cities municipalities will serve Grand Chute well in advancing intergovernmental coordination.
The hiring of Parish resolves a leadership vacancy that required interim oversight for a considerably longer period than town leaders originally anticipated. Peterson, who retired from his long-standing career as Grand Chute's police chief in September 2025, originally stepped out of retirement to assume the interim administrator duties after former Town Administrator Richard Downey resigned from the post.
Following Downey’s departure in late summer 2025, the town established a temporary administrative structure while launching a formal search for a permanent successor. Throughout the interim period, Peterson served in the executive role under an arrangement where he worked 32 hours per week at a compensation rate of $3,200.
To conduct a thorough and professional recruitment effort, Grand Chute engaged the executive search firm Public Administration Associates, based in Whitewater. The consulting firm was charged with identifying and vetting qualified applicants from across the state and the nation to lead the municipality.
The recruitment process faced an unexpected setback after the town initially selected a finalist from Ohio and began negotiating contract terms. During those contract discussions, the out-of-state finalist opted to pause the process before ultimately deciding to withdraw his name from consideration for the administrative role.
Rather than settling for second- or third-ranked candidates from the initial applicant pool, the Grand Chute Town Board chose to completely restart the recruitment search. That deliberate decision required the board to prolong Peterson’s interim tenure to ensure municipal operations remained stable while the search firm attracted fresh talent.
The restart ultimately enabled the town to recruit Parish, delivering a veteran Fox Cities administrator with deep regional roots to head Grand Chute's administration. Peterson reflected positively on his time managing the town's operations, noting that he enjoyed the opportunity to guide Grand Chute through the prolonged interim period as it now prepares for Parish to take charge.
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