LUDLOW, Vt. – Penny Wu was recently named municipal manager for the village and town of Ludlow, Vt. She comes to the position after 36 years with the USDA Forest Service, an agency that manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. Wu has extensive experience addressing complex land-management issues by successfully working with a variety of public agencies, stakeholders, and landowners. As the deputy director of recreation, heritage, and volunteer resources, she solved problems by collaborating with a variety of special-interest groups, such as the International Mountain Bike Association, National Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition, National Ski Area Association, Recreational Airstrips Foundation, The Wilderness Society, United Snowmobile Alliance, and Winter Wildland Alliance.
Other Forest Service assignments included district ranger for the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado; supervisory outdoor recreation planner in the San Juan National Forest, Colorado; and recreation and trails specialist in the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont. Wu says, “I am thrilled for the opportunity to serve the residents, businesses, and visitors of my hometown. As municipal manager, I bring a values-based, purpose-driven, and relationship-focused ethos. I will listen, be accountable, and work tirelessly with the selectboard, trustees, and water commissioners to move Ludlow into the future.”
Raised in Ludlow, Wu is a Black River High School alumna. She earned a Bachelor of Science in outdoor recreation management at the School of Natural Resources, University of Vermont. Her choice of natural resources as a career was greatly influenced by childhood car-camping trips spent with her siblings Stephanie and Doug, and parents John and Carol Wu. “Summers spent as a youngster camping cross-country set the foundation for my love of the outdoors,” Wu said. “Traveling in a station wagon, exploring the country’s national parks, forests, historic sites, and meeting different people along the way was simply awesome.”