The Town of Fountain Hills recently added Marissa Moore to its staff as senior planner in the Development Services Department.

Moore is filling a vacancy left following a staff realignment that promoted previous Senior Planner Bob Rodgers to the job of Development Services director.

Moore holds a master’s degree in community and regional planning from Iowa State University. She has worked as a planner for the past 10 years with positions in Iowa and Florida.

Moore did academic research at Iowa State and held planner positions in the cities of Sebastian and New Smyrna Beach in Florida. She also worked as a private consultant for Monroe County in the Florida Keys, encompassing several incorporated and unincorporated areas within the county.

After experience in Florida and the Midwest the feature that captured Moore’s attention in Fountain Hills was, well, the hills.

“Florida is pretty flat and beaches versus the hills are quite a contrast,” Moore said. “(Fountain Hills) is visually and aesthetically pleasing.

“This is a beautiful little town.”

In the few short weeks she has been here, and going into the holidays, Moore has been getting to know the community driving around and reading over the town’s planning documents.

Moore said she is looking forward to working with the community Dark Skies Committee to implement plans for an International Dark Skies certification for the town.

Moore said she will also be working on an update on “wayfinding” signs in conjunction with the town’s branding objectives, and she will be working with special events.

Moore grew up in the Lehigh Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania. She served in the U.S. Air Force and is a single mom with a son currently living in China for a year abroad.

She is also an avid hiker and has a rather large dog that accompanies her on hikes.