John Lawlor, Jr

John Lawlor serves as the Director of Public Works & Engineering for the City of Meriden, Connecticut, overseeing essential infrastructure services for a community of 62,000 residents. In this executive role, he manages administration, capital projects, engineering, highways, fleet, facilities, flood control, and solid waste management. A skilled leader, he frequently collaborates with municipal boards and spearheads teams to address critical community initiatives. A native of Waterbury, Connecticut, John comes from a military family and served in the U.S. Army in roles of increasing responsibility, culminating as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center and School (Airborne) and Special Operations Center of Excellence at Fort Bragg. John is Top Ten National Public Works Leader as well as being an APWA National Accreditation Evaluator, a member of the APWA New England Chapter Executive Board and chairs the APWA Professional Development Committee. Passionate about advancing public works, he remains committed to professionalizing municipal services and fostering leadership development.