Assistant City Managers and Directors Named

Today, City Manager Reese Goad announced the promotion of employees to further efforts toward the City of Tallahassee’s strategic goals. In line with the City’s core values, these staffing changes reflect an investment in employee excellence, focus on diversity and providing exceptional service to citizens. The promotion of new leadership team members will enhance internal efficiencies without any increase to the budget or positions.

“Change is rapid in today’s world, and we must keep pace to ensure organizational effectiveness as outlined in our five-year strategic plan. This includes supporting succession planning to ensure the continuity of operations, working to reflect the community we serve and remaining agile to meet rising needs, while remaining fiscally responsible,” City Manager Goad said.

Dr. Karen Jumonville, who began her career with the City of Tallahassee in 1999 after working for both Leon County and the City of Quincy, is now the Assistant City Manager responsible for the areas of Environmental Services, Growth Management and Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure.

Since 2010, Jumonville has served as the Director of Growth Management, making her the first female to hold this City position. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and a doctorate in Public Administration from Florida State University. Additionally, she holds certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Abena Ojetayo, who started with the City in 2017 as its first Chief Resilience Officer, is now the Assistant City Manager responsible for the areas of Fleet, Housing and Community Services, Human Resources and StarMetro.

Most recently, Ojetayo served as the Director of Housing and Community Resilience. Prior to her tenure with the City, she worked internationally and nationally on sustainability, resiliency and development projects including at Cornell University and Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University. She has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Engineering Management from Cornell University. Additionally, she is a LEED accredited professional.

Christian Doolin, who joined the City in 2016 as its first Director of Strategic Innovation, is now the Assistant City Manager responsible for the areas of Financial Services, Grants and Enterprise Resources, Procurement, Resource Management, Strategic Innovation and Technology and Innovation.

Doolin coordinated the development of the City’s five-year strategic plan and led fiscal and management process improvement efforts. He has an extensive background spanning 25 years in business strategy development, financial and economic modeling, organizational change and process improvement. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in International Development, both from American University.

Dr. Kimball Thomas, who joined the City in 2018, has taken on the director role of the newly combined Department of Housing and Community Resilience and Department of Community Services.

Prior to this, he was Director of Community Services, overseeing the TEMPO and TFLA programs and collaborating on affordable housing and homelessness support. Thomas has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of public education and public service. He received a bachelor’s degree in Education from Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University, a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from Nova Southeastern University and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University.

Veronica McCraken, who joined the City in 2020, has been promoted to the director of Procurement.

McCraken has more than 20 years of experience in procurement. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Juris Doctorate, both from the University of Florida. She is a member of the Florida Bar. In prior roles, she has served as a procurement attorney, Deputy General Counsel and Governance Manager for several State departments, as well as Procurement Manager for the Citizen Property Insurance Corporation.

Roberta McManus has been promoted to the director of Grants and Enterprise Resources.

With more than 36 years of experience, she first joined the City in 1991, working in auditing and purchasing. She returned to the City in 2017, following a 10-year tenure at Florida State University. Upon her return, she helped develop two new divisions – Enterprise Resource Planning and Grants Management, both within the Department of Financial Services. McManus holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from Florida State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Research Administrator.

John Powell, who has been with the City for 20 years, has taken on the new role of Director of City Construction.

During his tenure with the City, he has managed several high-profile projects, including remediation of the Cascades Park superfund site. He is currently managing the demolition of the former Northwood Mall facility and construction of the new police department headquarters building. Powell has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, a Juris Doctorate and a certificate in Land Use and Environmental Law. He is a Florida Bar licensed attorney, registered Professional Engineer, State Certified General Contractor and Certified Facilities Manager.

Ubie Brantley, who joined the City in 2020, has been promoted to the director of Facilities.

Prior to his work with the City, Brantley spent 27 years in the United States Navy, where he enlisted as a maintenance technician, earned a commission and rose to the rank of Lt. Commander. Following that, he served as Operations Manager for the Tallahassee-Leon County Public Safety Complex and then Deputy Director for Real Estate at the Florida Department of Management Services. Brantley has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration from Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University and master’s degrees in Business Administration from Saint Leo University and Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College.

Alissa Meyers, who joined the City in 2016, now serves as the director of Environmental Services.

Meyers previously served as the Environmental Regulatory Compliance Administrator, supervising environmental regulatory compliance matters and managing the City’s highly acclaimed Brownfields Program. With a bachelor’s degree in Forest Resources and Conservation and a Juris Doctorate degree, Meyers began her career in public service with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, where she served for nearly 15 years. She is an attorney licensed to practice in the State of Florida and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator.

“I’m excited about Tallahassee’s future,” City Manager Goad said. “These talented, highly-skilled professionals have helped accelerate the City’s progress toward its strategic goals, and now, each will provide higher-level leadership and focus that I am confident will ensure we remain a leader in the delivery of public service and cultivate an even stronger, more vibrant community.”

For more information about the City organization, visit Talgov.com.