Ending an exhaustive months-long search on Tuesday night, Community Board 7 approved the selection of Bedford Park resident Fernando Tirado, who joined the board as a member in June, as its new district manager.

Tirado, a former city Health Department employee, was approved unanimously by the Board’s search committee after a series of impressive interviews, said Board Chair Greg Faulkner.

Faulkner, a member of the search committee who recently won re-election along with a slate of like-minded executive officers, called Tirado’s hiring "the best thing I’ve done on this board."

Explaining Tirado’s strengths, Faulkner said, "He’s energetic, enthusiastic, he has a philosophy for the community. He lives in the community. He came up with great ideas during the interview process. He’s very passionate."

District managers are chosen and hired by board members, who are appointed by the borough president and local City Council members, and serve two-year terms on a volunteer basis. Among other tasks, the district manager monitors and evaluates the delivery of city services, addresses citizen complaints, and chairs monthly district service cabinet meetings, where local agency heads come together to discuss community problems.

Two years ago, Tirado moved to Bedford Park from Queens. Earlier this year, he began attending CB7 meetings. In June, Tirado was especially excited about joining a board that had just elected new leadership in addition to Faulkner, who was elected in a competitive election for the first time.

At the end of June, longtime CB7 District Manager Rita Kessler resigned.

Tom Lucania, the Bronx borough president’s community board specialist, took over as district manager at CB7 on an interim and part-time basis.

On Tuesday, Tirado was approved by the community board. He will start as soon as the board can usher him through the city hiring process.