Washington, D.C. - Nicole Nason was sworn in May 2 as the 20th administrator of the Federal Highway Administration under the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Nason was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a 95-1 vote. She previously served as assistant secretary of the Bureau of Administration at the U.S. Department of State and as administrator of USDOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2006-200 and assistant secretary for government affairs from 2003-2006.
Oklahoma - University of Oklahoma President James Gallogly announced his plans to retire May 12. The 1977 alumnus and former Fortune 500 company CEO took office in July 2018 to become the university's 14th president. Gallogly informed the Board of Regents that he will leave office once they have a transition plan in place.
California - Julie Kirschbaum accepted the appointment of director of transit at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Kirschbaum will oversee the direction and management of the agency's transit division. She has been in an acting role as transit director since October. Her more than 20 years of transportation experience includes managing SFMTA's Transit Planning and Scheduling group and envisioning and implementing a system-wide redesign known as the Transit Effectiveness Project that later became Muni Forward. Before joining the agency, Kirschbaum worked as a senior transportation planner with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and a private sector consultant.
Michigan - The state of Michigan has named Jack Harris as its chief technology officer (CTO) after he served in an interim role for 10 months after Rod Davenport resigned. Harris will direct the state's technology management processes in his new role. Before taking on these positions, he led the state's enterprise architecture and network strategies at the department of technology, management and budget for seven years and telecommunications division for nine years.
North Carolina - Sherry Wilborn will helm the Person County Economic Development Commission as its new economic development director. Wilborn has been the North Carolina EDC's interim director since 2018 and on staff since 2003. She will tout new business and industry opportunities to prospective businesses and advocate for existing businesses. Wilborn successfully supported one corporation's expansion that brought $35 million in investment and 384 new jobs to the county.
Florida - Monte Falls will take over as Vero Beach's new city manager after serving in an interim capacity since March. Falls, who replaces Jim O'Connor who retired in March, has held various positions at Vero Beach for 28 years, including 15 years as the city's public works director.
Alabama - Marshall J. Taggart Jr. is the Montgomery Airport Authority's newest executive director, starting May 15. The authority had been without an executive director since 2016, but Taggart replaces interim director Bob Hendrix who is the airport's fire chief. Taggart's aviation industry experience spans two decades including time as the deputy airport director at the DeKalb Peachtree Airport in Georgia and in the private sector as national director for airport business. He also managed Tallahassee Regional Airport (now an international airport) as its deputy aviation director.
California - Officials at the California Department of Technology announced on May 7 that Peter Liebert will be leaving his post as California's cybersecurity chief of three years. Liebert served as both chief information security officer (CISO) and director of the Office of Information Security. Previously, he served as an officer and civilian at the United States Cyber Command and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Cyber Policy division.
Florida - Monte Falls will take over as Vero Beach's new city manager after serving in an interim capacity since March. Falls, who replaces Jim O'Connor who retired in March, has held various positions at Vero Beach for 28 years, including 15 years as the city's public works director.
California - The city of Pasadena named Laura Cornejo as its new transportation director to succeed Fred Dock, who retired after 12 years of service. Cornejo's first day is scheduled for June 3. Her 17 years of experience in municipal, regional and state government include tenures as the deputy executive officer of countywide planning at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) and interim director of transportation and manager of strategic planning and intergovernmental relations with the city of Montebello.
Florida - Mike McNees is set to become Marco Island's new city manager pending contract agreement with the city. McNees' previous city management experience was with the city of Melbourne, Fla. He is likely to start in August to replace interim city manager David Harden.
California - Dorothy Leland, chancellor at the University of California, Merced, on May 13, effective Aug. 15. The university's Board of Regents appointed Leland as chancellor in 2011. She previously served as Georgia College & State University for seven years. UC President Janet Napolitano said she will begin a national search to find a new chancellor.
Missouri - Alex Braszko, former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, has taken command as the new chief innovation officer at the city of Kansas City, Mo. In his 21 years with the Army, Braszko worked in space operations and military intelligence. Under the Veterans Local Government Fellowship Program, he transitioned from military service into a four-month civilian fellowship with the city. Braszko takes over for Bob Bennett who left to work at an urban development think tank.