Lake Forest Park welcomes new Public Works Director, Nova Heaton

Nova Heaton has been named as the new Public Works Director for Lake Forest Park.

Nova Heaton, Public Work Director
City of Lake Forest Park

Nova is a civil engineer with over two decades of experience delivering public infrastructure projects in both consulting and local government. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Iowa in December 1999.

Nova has served in a range of public-sector roles, including nine years with Snohomish County, five years with the City of Arlington in Planning and Development, and three years as Public Works Director for the City of Snohomish.

Her technical expertise includes utility systems, roadway design, environmental projects, and park planning and development. She has led the design of roads, bank stabilization projects, fish passage improvements, and stream reconstruction efforts, with a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship and long-term system performance. 

Nova has a particular interest in long-range and multimodal planning that supports safe, resilient, and connected communities, and she developed and implemented Complete Streets policies for both the City of Arlington and the City of Snohomish.

Nova also brings significant experience in emergency management, including event response and leadership through post-event damage assessment, repair, and recovery. Her background includes budget management, project management, and collaborative problem solving, with a proven ability to work effectively with community members, local partners, and multidisciplinary teams to deliver successful projects.