RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Murieta Association has selected Vicky Lentz as its next general manager, board President Patrick O’Hern announced April 21, following a monthslong search to replace retiring General Manager Rod Hart.

“We reviewed the status of our general manager hiring … and it is my pleasure to announce that the Rancho Murieta board of directors has selected Vicky Lentz to be the next general manager,” O’Hern said in reporting out from closed session at the April board meeting.

O’Hern said Lentz brings both experience and familiarity with the community.

“She has some very deep roots in Rancho Murieta,” he said. “I’m very impressed with everything that she’s done… I think that everybody is going to be very pleased with Vicky when she comes on board.”

Lentz, 68, previously lived in Rancho Murieta and now lives in Rancho Cordova. Hart said Lentz is currently the general manager of a homeowners’ association in the Roseville area. She has worked in professional community management since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Lentz is employed by FirstService Residential, one of the largest HOA management companies in North America, which provides management services to thousands of residential communities, including budgeting, maintenance oversight and board support.

The selection followed a recruitment process that drew a dozen applicants, who were narrowed to three finalists and interviewed by the board in March and April. Directors described the candidate pool as strong and the decision difficult as they sought a successor to Hart, who retired May 1 after 45 years with the association.

Hart, who did not participate in the hiring decision, said in a subsequent interview that he is “extremely happy” with the board’s choice.

“I can’t be happier with the selection,” Hart said. “She already knows the community… She’s already asking if I would come out and work a few days so she can catch up, which is a sign of a leader… and she’s just got a really pleasant attitude, which is going to lend itself well to the community and the staff.”

Hart said Lentz’s prior service on the RMA board and her professional background position her well for the role.

“Looking through historical documents, she did some amazing work on the board,” he said.

He also said Lentz has no plans for a short tenure and is expected to remain in the role well beyond industry averages.

“GMs are typically at an HOA for about three years,” Hart said. “And she’s certainly going to surpass that… She plans to go beyond that contract should the community want that.”

Her hiring comes as the association prepares for a leadership transition from Hart, who has been widely credited with overseeing decades of development and maintenance of Rancho Murieta’s parks, facilities and infrastructure. The RMA board held a May 1 community celebration at Stonehouse Park to mark Hart’s 45 years of service.

Lentz, who attended that celebration, said her interest in the position is rooted in a longstanding connection to the community.

“Because I love Rancho Murieta; it’s always had my heart ever since I had to move away,” she said. “It has always been a desire to come back. Now that I have the years (of HOA experience) behind me, it all came together.”