How long have you been a FCCMA member and why did you join?
I joined in March 2020 to become more connected to municipal professionals across the state, learn from their experiences, and to share what we are doing in the City of Gainesville.
Are you an ICMA member, why did you join, and how long have you been a member?
I joined ICMA in 2019 to become more connected to municipal professionals across the country, learn from their experiences, and to share what we are doing in the City of Gainesville. Associations are great ways to sharpen your skills and learn from peer-to-peer knowledge exchanges.
Please describe your areas of formal/advanced education.
I have an undergraduate degree in communications from Xavier University of Louisiana, an HBCU in New Orleans, which has served me well in my career path as a nonprofit and municipal executive. In my early career as a journalist, I covered municipal boards and legislative bodies as part of my beat as a City Hall reporter and that experience helped me to understand the complexity of local government and how local decisions impact the public. Later, I completed a public policy fellowship at Duke University, where I presented a research project on the intersection of media and its influence on policy formation. In 2012, I attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and worked with a cohort that was 40% domestic and 60% international in the study of collaborative governance. Currently, I am enrolled in the MPA program at the University of Central Florida.
Why did you select a career in public service?
I enjoy participating in local decision-making and working with others to solve complex challenges that benefit the entire community. Public service allows me to use all of my experiences to bring a vastly different viewpoint to the public sector and to bring others into the local arena who may not know how to engage with policy makers.
Have you always been in the public sector or have you had experience in the private sector?
I worked 10 years as a journalist, another 10 years as a nonprofit executive (chamber of commerces in Alabama, Georgia and Florida); I also served as a President/CEO of United Way of North Central Florida in addition to eight years in the public sector in a strong mayor form of governance and now a city manager governance system.
Please tell us about your current position and give a brief job description.
Currently serving as an Assistant City Manager with oversight of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs, Wild Spaces Public Places (a tax-funded initiative to acquire and improve environmentally sensitive lands to improve region’s recreational amenities), Housing and Community Development, Homeless Services, and acting as a liaison to the City’s Office of Equity and Inclusion for General Government.
Please describe your typical day.
A typical day may consist of standing departmental meetings, collaborating with other city departments to connect and synthesize efforts to deliver quality service to our neighbors, working with our region’s homeless care providers, nonprofit leaders and residents to meet the challenge of improving the quality of life for all who live in our community. No two days are the same.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Connecting my colleagues to industries outside of local government to create collaborative solutions that involve business, non-profit and local government participation. I have found the 1/3 mix of all three sectors to be the most successful and sustainable in finding solutions to community challenges.
What is your least favorite part of the job?
All of the meetings!
If you are involved in any volunteer or leadership activities in your community, please share with us a bit about what you do and why it is important to you.
I am a member of Rotary, but have not been active since the pandemic.
What is your most memorable experience on the job?
Working on a team to secure the financing to build the nation’s only African Bull Elephant exhibit in captivity at the Birmingham Zoo (called the “Trails of Africa”) and the creation of an award-winning 750,000 square foot multi-purpose athletic and meeting facility called the Crossplex in Birmingham, AL.
What are your hobbies/interests?
I am the mother of triplets – one of whom is autistic and nonverbal so all of my personal time is around helping him have the highest quality of life along with his sisters. I also volunteer my time as advocate for special needs children and their families in finding therapy solutions.
If you could give one piece of advice to people interested in a career in public service, what would it be?
I would advise anyone interested in a career in public service to remember that the work is as challenging as it is rewarding. The democratization of media and the ever-increasing fractionalization of our government makes public sector work extremely difficult to navigate and sometimes a negative environment to work in so if you have chosen this field, you will need to have stamina, a strong commitment to your craft and a sense of humor to shield you from the tough times.
Who were your mentors and how have you passed this information down to other aspiring public administrators?
I’ve had many mentors in my career and the best advice I’ve ever received is to do the work and if you do it well, the rewards will follow but never to confuse the order of those two things.
What career would you pick if you were to pick another?
I’ve worked in other sectors and have enjoyed all of them and how they connect.
Do you have a story you can share about how being a member of FCCMA has helped you or impacted you in a positive way?
Not yet… I am new but looking forward to how FCCMA can be a part of my journey.
