#747 Parks and Rec to City Management, Jennifer Wills, Longview, WA

Sabrina Abdulla, Director of Customer Experience for the City of Sugar Land, Texas joined the podcast to discuss customer service in local government. She talked about how the prioritizes customer experience through their 311 call center, resident surveys, and communication. He also discussed her career path and the transition from operations work to policy and strategy work. Host: Ben Kittelson

Jennifer Wills, City Manager for the City of Longview, Washington joined the podcast to discuss her career path and transition from the Parks and Recreation Department to City Manager. She talked about the transition from peer to leader and how her background and leadership style have informed her approach to city management. She shared how she's using leadership training and community engagement to breakdown silos in the organization. She also talked about economic development and responding to a disaster. Host: Ben Kittelson

To recognize 10 years of GovLove co-host Ben Kittelson started a retrospective project. He went back through the archives and picked 10 of our favorite guests to interview again as part of the anniversary. These guests are from all over the country and in various local government roles but the thing they have in common is they gave great insight into the profession and into the work of local government. As part of those conversations we asked them to reflect on the last 10 years of local government, the trends and challenges that have impacted the way that organizations do their work and provide service to their communities. This episode pulls together their answers about trends and the themes were fascinating, from COVID and remote work to polarization, AI, and the rising demands on government they hit on the big issues of our time. Host: Ben Kittelson 10 Interviews for 10 Years of GovLove: Starting as a New County Manager and Building Culture with Josh Edwards, York County, SC Finance, Innovation, and Emerging Trends with Chris Morrill and Shayne Kavanagh, GFOA Leadership and Change Management with Kelly McAdoo, Santa Barbara, CA Parks Commissioner to City Council Member with Mitchell Silver, Raleigh, NC Leading ICMA and the Roots of Professional Government with Julia Novak, ICMA Development and Customer Service with JC Hudgison, Tampa, FL Utilities, Leadership, and an Employee-First Culture with Cathy Bailey, Cincinnati, OH Building a People-Centered Workforce with Alex Lawrence, Boston, MA City Management and Public Works with Ginger Spencer, Phoenix, AZ Equity in Action and Supporting Small Businesses with Aleea Slappy Wilson, Norfolk, VA

Cassie Johnson, Interim General Manager of WestWorld for the City of Scottsdale, Arizona joined the podcast to discuss her transition from the Police Department to the City's equestrian event center. She talked about wanting to take on interim assignments to build her leadership skills and how her management and professional skillset from the Police Department transferred to her new role. She also talked about the operations of WestWorld as a special event venue with events as varied as rodeos and horse shows to camps and concerts. Host: Ben Kittelson

Chase Bruton, Town Manager for the Town of Yorktown, Indiana joined the podcast to discuss emergency management and preview the upcoming ELGL Gov Grand Prix Conference. He shared how the town responded to recent flooding, upcoming infrastructure projects, and exciting things to do in Indianapolis during the ELGL conference. Host: Lauren Palmer

Jay Lockaby is a Transportation Supervising Engineer in the Traffic Signals Unit within the Connecticut Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Engineering. He joined the podcast to talk about what the work of traffic engineering involves and his work across the State partnering with local communities to manage traffic. He shared how he has worked with communities to support vision zero or pedestrian initiatives and deploying new connected vehicle technology. He also discussed roundabouts, including the safety benefits and the communications and engagement challenge those projects can pose. Host: Marissa Baum

Casey Lucius, City Manager for the City of Marco Island, Florida joined the podcast to discuss her transition into the City Manager role and into local government. She talked about her career path which has included time as a Naval Intelligence Officer and in the State Department as well as serving as a City Council Member. She discussed her transition from being Assistant City Manager to the City Manager, changes she is implementing as City Manager, and the City's upcoming bond election. Host: Ben Kittelson

Melissa Murphy Rodrigues, Town Manager at the Town of North Andover, Massachusetts joined the podcast to discuss leading with empathy. She talked about what leading with empathy actually looks like in government leadership and a powerful example involving North Andover's flag policy and what became an emotionally charged moment in the community. She also shared advice she would give about leading with empathy while still making tough decisions. Host: Marissa Baum

Aleea Slappy Wilson, Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Norfolk, Virginia, rejoined the podcast to discuss the work of equity and economic inclusion through supporting small businesses. She shared the work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Norfolk including the City's Bon Appétit Initiative and Equity Ambassadors program. She talked about the scrutiny equity work has been under and the impact of the current political environment. She also reflected on local government trends from the last 10 years. Host: Ben Kittelson

Tim Reavis, Senior Multimodal Transportation Planner for the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, joined the podcast to discuss celebrating America's 250th birthday. He shared the story behind the Washington County quilt, how he was able to get the other 29 counties and one parish on board, and the special history behind each quilt square. Host: Lauren Palmer