Government Contracting Pipeline 11-11-26

Historic preservation projects create hundreds of new contracting opportunities nationwide

by Mary Scott Nabers, CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

Historic preservation projects are creating growing contracting opportunities as public agencies modernize aging buildings while protecting their architectural significance.

Treasury approves 6,576 Opportunity Zones nationwide

Treasury approved 6,576 Opportunity Zones nationwide, including 2,594 rural tracts. See the state-by-state breakdown of designations effective in 2027.

Select States: Illinois | New Hampshire | Missouri | Ohio | Texas

Raleigh-Durham airport advances $2.5B expansion program

Raleigh-Durham International Airport is advancing $2.5 billion in runway, terminal, roadway and parking improvements through its Transform RDU program.

Six U.S. cities rank among global AI leaders, study finds

ThoughtLab identifies six U.S. cities among 37 global AI leaders, highlighting municipal technology, cybersecurity and infrastructure contracting opportunities.

Silicon Valley water district moving forward with $100M reuse facility

Valley Water advances a $100 million Silicon Valley water purification demonstration facility ahead of a proposed $2.45 billion full-scale project.

Nevada appoints first chief privacy officer, names two technology leaders

Nevada names Casey Quinn its first chief privacy officer and appoints Jared Wilkin and Megan Franklin to technology leadership positions.

Shirley Emehelu appointed New Jersey secretary of state

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill appointed Shirley Emehelu secretary of state, marking the first time women hold both top executive offices simultaneously.

Illinois launches program to help fleets transition to electric trucks

Illinois is providing funding for electric truck replacements and fleet planning, including an initiative offering consulting opportunities for qualified transportation firms.

Ted Ross

CIO

City of Los Angeles

Nevada – Jackie Bryant, Reno’s city manager, has announced five appointments to her leadership team. Ashley Turney, previously an assistant city manager, becomes executive director of the Reno Redevelopment Agency. Chris Pingree, formerly the Development Services director, fills the assistant city manager position vacated by Turney. Angela Fuss moves from assistant director to director of Development Services. Finally, Khalil Wilson becomes Public Works director and Monica Kirch is the new Human Resources director. Both had been serving in those roles on an interim basis.

California – Tina Recalde has been named superintendent/president of the Palomar Community College District. Recalde had been serving as the interim leader of the North San Diego County district, which has nearly 30,000 students. She becomes the district’s 12th superintendent/president in its 80-year history.

North Carolina – Jason Casteen has been appointed chief of the Surf City Police Department by Town Manager Kyle Breuer. Casteen is a retired North Carolina State Highway Patrol first sergeant with 27 years of law enforcement experience. Most recently, he oversaw personnel across a 1,800-square-mile, multi-county region for the highway patrol.

North Carolina – Jackie Stepp was sworn in as Asheville’s police chief during a ceremony at City Hall. Stepp, who has been with the Asheville Police Department (APD) for 21 years, had served as interim chief for the past year. Stepp told those in attendance at the swearing-in ceremony that she intends to finish her career in Asheville.

Arizona – Holger Durre shifts from fire chief to deputy city manager for Prescott. He’s been fire chief for the past five years. In total, Durre has more than two decades of experience in the public sector. He has a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Indiana State University and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Leading, Educating and Developing (LEAD) program. The city is currently crafting a transition plan for leadership of the fire department.

California – Michelle Poché Flaherty will serve as Auburn’s next city manager. Flaherty, who is currently assistant city manager for Redwood City, is set to start Jan. 4. For more than 20 years, she has worked for city, county and federal government agencies. Prior to Redwood City, Flaherty served as deputy city manager for Palo Alto.

Pennsylvania – Stephanie Stephens is the next superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park, Eisenhower National Historic Site and the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument. Stephens has been with the National Park Service for 37 years, holding a variety of leadership positions. She currently serves as the acting regional director for the Midwest Region of the National Park Service.

Nevada – Chad Oliver recently took the oath of office, becoming the new fire chief for North Las Vegas. He succeeds Joseph Calhoun, who became assistant city manager. Oliver is a Las Vegas Valley native who joined the North Las Vegas Fire Department in 2007, rising from firefighter/paramedic to captain, battalion chief, assistant fire chief and, most recently, deputy fire chief.