By 1808Delaware
Dublin will enter the final weeks of 2026 with a different person at the helm, as City Manager Megan O’Callaghan has submitted her resignation effective November 13. The city announced the decision on Tuesday, bringing an approaching leadership change into view one month before her departure.
O’Callaghan has worked for Dublin since 2014 and became its sixth city manager in October 2022. Read the city’s departure announcement.
A Career That Followed The City’s Growth
O’Callaghan arrived as Dublin’s public service director while the city was preparing infrastructure for the Bridge Street District redevelopment, something which has transformed the city. She later served as director of public works and deputy city manager before taking the city manager position. Across those roles, her responsibilities grew alongside projects that changed how Dublin moves, develops, and delivers public services.
The city credited her with work supporting Bridge Park as well as the Dublin Link pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the Scioto River. Her time as City Manager also included Connected Dublin, the GoDublin customer-service platform, SnowGo, and the city’s mobile asset-management system. Other initiatives referred to in the announcement include Dublin’s SportsOhio purchase, planning the Premier Athletic and Recreation Campus, investment by Dublin Methodist Hospital, Mount Carmel Dublin, and Ohio State, and strategic land acquisition that expanded the city into Madison County.
Those projects did not belong to one official alone. City Council, employees, residents, developers, institutions, and regional partners all played roles, however O’Callaghan’s position placed her at the administrative center of that work.
What The City Manager Does
Dublin uses the council-manager form of government. City Council sets policy and appoints a professional manager to execute it. The city describes its manager as the chief administrative and law-enforcement officer, responsible to council for daily operations. The job includes advising council about finances and future needs, reporting on departments and agencies, and providing leadership on city projects.
That structure makes the coming transition more than simply a personnel change. The manager helps connect council decisions with the departments, budgets, contracts, services, and employees required to implement them.
O’Callaghan brought engineering and legal experience to the position. She holds a civil-engineering degree from Ohio State and a law degree from Capital University, and she is licensed in Ohio as both a professional engineer and an attorney. Her earlier public-sector work included leadership positions with the Ohio Department of Transportation and Columbus Department of Public Service.
You can review Dublin’s description of the city manager’s responsibilities here.
The Next Leader Has Not Been Named
Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes said, “The City of Dublin appreciates Megan’s contributions to the City.”
O’Callaghan described her years in Dublin as an honor and said she is excited about the next chapter of her career. The announcement does not identify her next position or give a reason for the resignation beyond that career transition. The city also has not announced an interim manager, permanent successor, application process, or search timetable. Until those details are released, November 13 is the firm date and the method for filling the position remains unresolved publicly.
That leaves Dublin with two transitions to manage: completing O’Callaghan’s handoff and choosing the administrator who will carry the city’s long list of projects into 2027.
Source, Photo: City of Dublin
