Former Ashland Town Manager brings an AAA-rated fiscal record, national recognition, and a fifteen-year municipal leadership career to CSS’s growing practice.
Hudson, MA – Capital Strategic Solutions (CSS) is proud to announce that Michael Herbert has joined the firm as Senior Project Manager. Herbert brings more than fifteen years of public-sector leadership across Massachusetts, most recently as Town Manager of Ashland, where he built one of the state’s strongest records in municipal fiscal, operational, and community development.
“Michael brings the rare combination of visionary leadership and practical, hands-on municipal experience that defines our team at CSS. His proven success in strengthening municipal finances, managing complex capital projects, securing millions in competitive funding, and building public trust will be an incredible asset to the communities we serve. I am thrilled to welcome Michael to CSS and excited about the new opportunities his expertise will help us create for our clients.”Nichol Figueiredo CEO, Capital Strategic Solutions
“Michael’s addition to CSS represents an exciting next step in the continued growth of our firm. He understands firsthand the challenges municipal leaders face because he has spent his career navigating them, balancing fiscal responsibility with community priorities, managing complex initiatives, and turning ideas into results. His experience strengthens our ability to support our clients in new and meaningful ways, while also creating opportunities to expand the services and expertise we bring to communities across Massachusetts. I’m incredibly excited to have Michael on our team and to see what we can build together.”Jennifer Thompson CDO, Capital Strategic Solutions
A Record of Fiscal Strength and Community Investment
As Town Manager of Ashland since 2016, Herbert led the town to an AAA bond rating from S&P, held continuously through the COVID-19 pandemic and upgraded from an AA rating in 2013.
Those projects included a public safety building and elementary school placed on a single debt-exclusion ballot and approved by 90% of voters. Herbert also grew the town’s stabilization fund from $2 million to more than $12 million, established an OPEB trust exceeding $8 million, and developed the strategy for Ashland’s first successful operating override in 2026.
Leadership Recognized Beyond Ashland
Herbert’s record has drawn recognition from organizations across the country. His individual honors and his team’s accomplishments include:
- Named one of the National Academy of Public Administration’s “250 Public Service Leaders” in 2026
- Two ICMA/Polco National Voice of the People Awards
- A Hometown Media Award for the “Clocktown Chronicles” podcast
- Five GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards for his Finance Team
Turning Municipal Experience Into Practical Solutions
Beyond fiscal and capital management, Herbert has a track record in organizational restructuring, development agreement negotiations resulting in significant increases in housing units and mitigation funds, grants strategy, land assembly and public-private partnerships, and executive transition planning.
CSS expects this experience to strengthen its work with existing municipal clients while supporting the development of new service offerings. Herbert is also a certified executive coach (ICF-ACC) and founder of C5 Executive Strategies, a coaching and advisory practice serving public-sector and nonprofit leaders.
“I have spent fifteen years on the client side of this work, so I know the difference between advice that sounds good in a board meeting and advice that holds up to the real pressures cities and towns face. What drew me to CSS is that this is a team of experts who have actually run the departments, closed the books, and delivered the projects. I am looking forward to bringing everything I have learned about financial strategy, moving big capital, economic development, and keeping a community with you while you do it. I could not be more excited to put that to work for the communities CSS serves.”Michael Herbert Senior Project Manager, Capital Strategic Solutions
Experience Across Massachusetts Government
Herbert holds a B.A. in Community Planning and an M.S. in Public Affairs, both from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he received the Matthew Sullivan Cohort Award for Leadership. He previously held roles with the City of Newton, the City of Lowell, and the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at UMass Boston.
About Capital Strategic Solutions
Capital Strategic Solutions is a woman-owned multidisciplinary consulting and operational support firm built on a simple idea: organizations shouldn’t have to choose between strategic thinking and hands-on execution. We provide both.
Our team has decades of combined, cross-sector experience spanning finance, operations, communications, human resources, infrastructure, and emergency management. That range lets us see the full picture of an organization’s challenges and design solutions that actually work in practice, not just on paper.