ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — A long-vacant position in Ithaca is now filled.

The Common Council has approved the appointment of Carissa Ralbovsky as city controller. Ralbovsky comes to Ithaca with more than a decade of experience in high-level public finance. She’s arriving from Maryland, where she worked as chief operating officer for the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel.

“I am honored to be entrusted with this important role and look forward to working together with staff to make the city’s operations more transparent, its processes more efficient, and its financial data more accurate,” Ralbovsky said. “As a family, we’re also excited for this opportunity to make Ithaca our new home.” Ralbovsky starts on May 6.

The city controller position has remained open since December 2023. Also at the Apr. 8 meeting, the Common Council appointed Dr. Kehar Khan as director of Ithaca’s human resources.

“Dr. Khan most recently served as Director of Human Resources for NeighborWorks Community Partners in Rochester, New York, where he led organization-wide HR transformation efforts. His work has emphasized practical, system-level improvements that help organizations operate effectively while supporting and developing employees. Throughout his career, he has overseen all aspects of the HR lifecycle, including talent acquisition, employee relations, labor relations support, performance management, compensation and benefits strategy, HR compliance, and HR Information System (HRIS) implementation,” the city said in a statement.

Khan’s start date as HR director is May 4.