After several months of searching, Brookfield has hired Matthew Havlik as the village’s new deputy director of public works. Havlik, who started July 13, will serve as the right-hand man to Lauren Moore, the director of the department, who joined the village in March 2025.
Havlik obtained a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management with a minor in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2013 and a master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University.
He comes most recently from the village of Lisle, where he worked as an assistant to the village manager for about seven years. Before that, Havlik spent four years as a public works analyst for the village of Winnetka and two years as a management intern for the city of Lake Forest as he attended grad school.
Havlik said he felt drawn to the world of public works by the amount of collaboration he experienced in previous positions.
“I really enjoyed the camaraderie of a team environment and working on and delivering those core services that residents rely on on an everyday basis, from making sure the roads are in good shape to making sure roads are plowed and accessible for everyone,” he said. “There are so many critical things that public works does that people might not always recognize, but it’s a very fulfilling department to work for.”
Havlik said he was attracted to the role after he saw a job posting online.
“I read it into it, and it sounded really interesting, all the duties and what the department is currently doing and some of the projects and initiatives coming ahead,” Havlik told the Landmark. “A lot of what was in the job description matched a lot of my background and things I’ve been doing, so I decided to put my name in.”
Havlik said he felt a natural camaraderie with the department heads and members of administration he met with during the interview process in June.
“It was a very natural conversation. They were very welcoming and supportive of this position, and I felt right at home right away,” he said.
He said his main duties will include supporting Moore in making decisions about the department and overseeing “a lot of the daily operations.”
“Strategic initiatives, service delivery, budgeting and capital planning, and also promoting a positive workplace culture here,” he said. “Modernizing the department with a focus on safety and making sure everyone is following department policies, procedures and practices.”
Havlik mentioned he has a personal connection to Brookfield, too.
“Brookfield has always been near and dear to my heart. Back in the day, my parents actually went to and graduated from Riverside Brookfield High School,” he said. “I’ve always known about Brookfield. I grew up going to the zoo with some core memories I have from that. With the charming character of the town, it was an easy decision to accept the position.”
Moore was not available to speak about Havlik’s hiring and Village Manager Tim Wiberg did not respond to a request for comment before the time of publication.
