MANSFIELD - Dan DeVille, area manager for FirstEnergy — who became a heavy hitter on Mansfield area community boards during his seven years in that job — will leave for a new job in Cleveland with the utility he works for around the end of the year.DeVille has been named director of external affairs for The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. and Ohio Edison, both part of the FirstEnergy corporate family. He will supervise a group of external affairs managers for northern Ohio, including areas covered by Ohio Edison in the Sandusky, Elyria and Lorain region.Though the effective date for that switch is Dec. 11, DeVille said a transition period will be continue through the end of December.DeVille has served as area manager for an eight-county region, including Mansfield and Marion, since 2010. The job involved developing positive business relationships between FirstEnergy and municipal governments, key businesses, civil leaders and commercial and industrial customers.The utility has not named a replacement, but officials will meet later this week to consider a request to hire someone into that post. DeVille said he will ask area managers in the adjoining region to take on his duties until a decision is made.DeVille has worked for the utility system for 31 years.During his time in the Mansfield area, he took several leadership roles in the community.He was chosen as vice chairman of the Richland Community Development Group in 2012, then stepped up last spring to serve as chairman after Richland Bank President John Brown, who had led that group, took a job in Springfield.DeVille also was a past board president for United Way of Richland County and for Marion CAN DO!, and is immediate past president of the Boy Scouts of America council.He served on The Ohio State University-Mansfield branch campus board. He took part in similar oversight of the Richland Area, Ashland and Marion Chambers of Commerce, Braintree Business Development Center board and Richland County Growth Corp. board. He was active with the Rotary Club of Mansfield.He won praise from Mansfield officials for his habit of stopping in frequently to city council meetings to touch base with local leaders to answer questions or discuss any issues they had on their minds.DeVille told the News Journal he took his cue from what happens in real life to people who only take a dog for rides in their vehicle on the way to the veterinarian's office. He didn't want local officials to feel they needed to brace themselves for bad news or a difficult conversation when he showed up to meetings, he said."I've been here in the Mansfield area for seven years, this coming January," DeVille said. "These seven years have been fabulous. The community welcomed me with open arms."