Gerard Brewer
After several months of negotiations, the Town of Highlands announced that Gerard Brewer has been hired to replace Lamar Nix, who retired as Town Engineer and Public Services Director at the end of 2025. Brewer began work on Monday, March 30.
Brewer brings over three decades of engineering expertise to his role as Town Engineer and Public Services Director for the Town of Highlands. A native of Auburn, Alabama, Gerard earned his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Auburn University in 1991.
His distinguished career includes early roles with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and TTL, Inc., followed by a 25-year tenure as the City Engineer and Director of Public Works for Alexander City, Alabama. Most recently, he served as City Engineer for the City of Winder, Georgia.
Town Manager Josh Ward said Brewer’s extensive experience in these similar roles stood out during the hiring process and aligned similarly with the Town of Highlands’ long term goals.
“The long term goal would be to provide a high level service and I feel that he has the experience and know-how to make sure that’s done properly,” said Ward. “Also, improvements to the systems we have now and his experience with improvements will be helpful going forward.”
Brewer said in an interview on the Winder Works Podcast with Winder City Administrator Jonathan Lynn that he uses a “data-driven” approach to tackle issues such as prioritizing street improvements.
“We’re all very pleased that Mr. Brewster has agreed to take this position. The important thing is that he has the full credentials that we were looking for,” said Mayor Patrick Taylor. “This will be a great transition as we move away from Lamar Nix.”
For Brewer, moving to the Highlands area is the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition; having visited the Blue Ridge Mountains since childhood, he is thrilled to finally call this area home.
Brewer and his wife, Anna, have three adult children: Peyton, Caroline, and Andrew. When he isn’t overseeing municipal projects, he is likely outdoors hiking, mountain biking, or exploring the mountains, though he also enjoys the technical challenge of swing trading stocks and options.
- Mitch Stone
reporter@highlandsnews.com