(Greensburg, IN)— After more than three decades overseeing the city’s utility operations, Donna Lecher is hanging up her calculator.
The City of Greensburg announced Wednesday that Lecher, utilities manager and controller since 1993, will retire April 1. Assistant Manager Dori Baker, a 24-year department veteran, will step up to lead the office.
Lecher’s tenure has been marked by steady financial stewardship through six mayoral administrations and major infrastructure investments, including a $34 million financing package that brought critical utility upgrades when Honda opened its local plant in 2006.
“Donna has been a cornerstone of our city administration for over three decades,” Mayor Joshua Marsh said. “Her expertise was instrumental during some of the largest infrastructure investments in our city’s history.”
A career of change and challenge
A 1977 Greensburg High School graduate, Lecher joined the city after six years as a Decatur County deputy auditor. Her first month on the job in 1993 brought an unexpected test: a fire forced the office to relocate temporarily — the first of seven moves during her career.
She managed financial operations across water, wastewater, stormwater and sanitation services while serving as Water Board secretary. Under her watch, the city modernized with internet-based billing and automated meter systems.
Lecher and her husband, Tim, live east of Greensburg. They have six children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Passing the torch
Baker, who joined the utilities office in 2001 as a customer service representative, worked her way up through billing clerk to assistant manager in 2010. A 1995 North Decatur Jr./Sr. High School graduate, she earned her degree from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2014.
She’s been integral to recent customer service improvements, including expanded digital payment options and a mass meter replacement program.
“With over two decades of experience within the department, she has a deep understanding of our utility systems,” Marsh said.
Baker lives in Westport with her husband, Shane, their three children, son-in-law and grandson.
