by Joan Eliyesil ·
Friday, December 19, 2025
The long wait for a full-time Department of Public Works director is finally over. Eric Ryder, currently employed as the DPW director in Hudson, will begin working in that capacity in Harvard on Monday, Jan. 5.
Town Administrator Dan Nason made the announcement in an email sent to town officials and the Press on Dec. 17. In the email, Nason said Ryder has been employed in public works since 1993. He spent 20 years at Lowell’s Regional Water Utility, followed by three years as the superintendent of streets in Nashua, New Hampshire. From 2016 to the present, he has served as the public works director in Hudson, where he manages 60 employees. Nason said Ryder’s experience in Hudson has been extensive, with responsibilities for streets, parks, forestry, water, wastewater, stormwater, cemeteries, and winter operations.
The full-time director position has been vacant since the previous director, David Smith, left abruptly in March because of personnel difficulties within the department. The position was filled by a contract employee during the summer, but that employee’s contract was temporary, and he left in November.
The town had been trying to hire a full-time director for months, but initial attempts failed to turn up any qualified candidates. Citing a hiring salary that was too low ($124,340), Nason increased the salary for the position to a range of $135,000 to $160,000. Nason has not yet announced the new director’s salary.