Jeffrey C. Grosser, Princeton’s health officer since 2014, will become the town’s new assistant administrator starting in January. Mr. Grosser fills the vacancy left by the departure of longtime assistant administrator Kathy Monzo, who left earlier this year to take a position in North Brunswick.

“We did an extensive search and we had people apply from as far away as Chicago and Florida, but he rose to the top,” said Marc Dashield, Princeton’s administrator. “It’s really a credit to him.”

From an outbreak of meningitis at Princeton University to environmental hazards at the building site for the AvalonBay rental complex, Mr. Grosser has been busy dealing with several substantial health issues since becoming Princeton’s health officer two years ago. The health officer is responsible for promoting health, preventing/controlling communicable and non-communicable diseases, and protecting against environmental hazards.

In his new position, Mr. Grosser will move from Monument Hall, the former Borough Hall building, to Witherspoon Hall, toward the end of December. His work as health officer will continue while the town looks for someone to fill the vacancy created by his move.

“There will be a transition process where he is doing both jobs, to some extent,” Mr. Dashield said. “We hope to have a new health officer by the end of February or the beginning of March, and until that point he’ll be pretty busy.”

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor’s degree in public health and a master’s in health science, Mr. Grosser came to Princeton from the Burlington
County health department. He was an adjunct professor at Richard Stockton College and an environmental health officer for the United States Navy Reserve.

Mr. Grosser’s interest in the assistant administrator’s job was a pleasant surprise to Mr. Dashield, with whom he will be working. “It was not unexpected, knowing he likes leadership and wants to move forward in his career,” Mr. Dashield said. “But I was surprised. It’s a great find to be able to have someone in your organization be so qualified for the job. I’m really excited to be working with him. He’s been doing great things and I know he will continue to do great things.”