City Manager Newsletter By TRACKDOWN MANAGEMENT "Providing thread to help stitch together the fabric of the City Management Community" July, 2020 Special Page | 1 Volume No. 13: Issue No. 13 Professional Women in Cities from Simi Valley to Sonora This Special July, 2020 issue addresses some of the women who work in the cities alphabetically listed between Simi Valley and Sonora. We continue to identify women professionals who work in California’s cities. This is the 40th issue dedicated to women in cities. There are many well qualified and dedicated women serving in California’s cities. The list is impressive. Our effort addresses the rhetorical question: Where are the women in city Pismo Beach City Manager Jim Lewis on a “road management? trip” Summer Vacation with his family. Here they are at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota. Jim says that the visit to Of course, it is impossible to report career profiles Mount Rushmore was “inspirational.” Jim started his when individuals fail to post their information. public service career as an Administrative Intern in We apologize to those we miss. Please believe Auburn in 1998. He had work assignments in that we use maximum effort to include all those Claremont, and Atascadero before being appointed Pismo Beach City Manager in 2013. who belong. / / http / http / http http http http://www.ocsec.com/ / / http.aspx Jack & Susan Simpson, 16707 Gerritt Avenue, Cerritos, California 90703-1442 Jack’s M | 562/896-5424; Susan’s M | 310/418-1035 www.trackdownmanagement.net | [email protected] City Manager Newsletter By Trackdown Management Page | 2 July, 2020 Special Volume No. 13: Issue No. 13 Professional Women in Cities borah Collins began her working career in Sausalito as an Administrative Assistant from Simi Valley to Sonora with an information technology and services firm in 1983. In 1984 she went to work as a softwareIn the southeast support corner technician of Ventura County for an is onthe- line software systems company in Chico. SheCity joined of Simi theValley Chic, sittingo citynext staffto Thousand in 1994 Oaks as Community Services Officer (CSO), and in and Moorpark. The city incorporated in 2001October, she took 1969. aThe Management 2019 estimated Analystpopulation with the Chico Policewww.ekapr.com Department. In 2009 rd sheof movedSimi Valley to is the125,613. City It isManager's the 3 largest Office city in in a ManagementEnglander Knabe & AllenAnalyst (EKA) post. is one of Deborah the leading earnedVentura a County. BA in socialSimi Valley work is thefrom home Cal ofifornia the Statestrategic University, communications Chico, and and public an affairs MS in firms law in Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum. from Champlain College. Southern California. It is led by partners Matt Knabe, President Reagan is buried in Simi Valley. Brian P. Marcus Allen, Eric Rose, Jeff McConnell, Adam Englander and Alex Cherin. We pride ourselves on Gabler is the City Manager and Lucy Blanco . providing a unique and strategic perspective on a Laura Behjan served as the Simi wide variety of issues. Valley City Manager following EKA provides services in the areas of government longtime City Manager Mike affairs, public relations, political campaigns and crisis Sedell’s retirement in July, 2012. management. In addition, our firm offers a wide Mike served as City Manager for array of professional litigation communication and 17-years. Laura retired in 2013. In expert witness services lead by our team of July, 2013, Laura was hired as a strategists, lawyers, journalists, and media relations part-time Executive Director of the Ventura specialists. Council of Governments (VCOG), succeeding Together, we have more than 100-years of combined Executive Director Darren Kettle. Laura worked experience and a multitude of relationships within with the City of Simi Valley for more than 20- the City & County of Los Angeles, and the 88 cities years. She joined the Simi Valley staff as a within Los Angeles County. Human Relations Manager in January, 1989, after working as an HR Manager in the City of To contact EKA, please call (213) 741-1500 or email Burbank (June, 1982-December, 1988). Laura [email protected]. signed a two-year employment agreement with the Council of Governments, which is a joint powers authority that includes the County of Ventura and its 10-cities as a housing and land- use planning body. Laura worked for VCOG until For the first-time ever ICMA is launching a digital March, 2016. She currently is a Curriculum conference event that will take place Committee Volunteer with California State September 23-26, 2020 University, Channel Islands, Extended University. Laura earned an MPA from California State Bringing the Community Together University, Long Beach. Registration Opened Wednesday, July 8, 2020 “The story of this Country was founded on an aspiration and has continued to evolve in the hope of fulfilling the promise of equality and freedom for all.” --Tim Kerr, Retired City Manager https://unite.icma.org/ City Manager Newsletter By Trackdown Management Page | 3 July, 2020 Special Volume No. 13: Issue No. 13 Professional Women in Cities borah Collins began her working career in Sausalito as an Administrative Assistant from Simi Valley to Sonora with an information technology and services firm in 1983. In 1984 she went to work as a software support technician for an on -line software systemsSimi Valley company Deputy Cityin Chico Manager. Samantha Argabrite joined the She joinedhttps://www.avenuinsights.com/ the Chico city staff in 1994 as Community Services Officer (CSO), and in city staff in January, 2007 as a 2001 sheThere’s took never a aManagement good time for operational Analyst with the Chico PoliceYouth Department. Employment In 2009Service downtime, or a good time to fall short on revenue. Coordinator. In March, 2011 she Formoved governments to the to serveCity their Manager's communities, Office they in a Management Analyst post. Deborah earnedneed solutions a BA theyin social can depend work on, from run by Cal partnersifornia State University,Samantha Chico, andwas anassigned MS in to law a who understand how the public sector works. Senior Management Analyst from Champlain College. position working with the City That’s why thousands of State and local government leaders turn to Avenu. Although the Manager staff. She was promoted Assistant to name is new, the company roots serving the City Manager in April, 2013, and in July, 2016 government officials go back nearly 100-years. Samantha was promoted to Deputy City Manager and Public Information Officer. She Retired City Managers Fran David, John Shirey and Jeff Kolin, a past President of the City Managers has worked for the city for nearly 14-years. Department of the League of California Cities, all Samantha earned a BA in communication and serve on the Avenue Advisory Board. media studies, and an MPA from California State University, Northridge. California Offices in El Dorado Hills, Fresno, Wanda Moyer is an Environmental Compliance Pleasanton, Sacramento and Westlake Village. Coordinator for Simi Valley. She joined the city staff in July, 2007. Wanda earned an MS in Fran Mancia may be environmental science from California State reached at 559-288-7296. Fran is a member of the University, Northridge. Board of Trustees of the California City Management Rina Valerio is an Enterprise Systems Analyst for Foundation (CCMF). the City of Simi Valley. She has worked in that capacity since September, 2004; about 16- years. She worked as a Senior Database Analyst for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) from September, 1998 to https://www.contractcities.org/ August, 2004. She worked part-time with SCAG West Hollywood City from 2008 to 2010 in addition to her city duties. Council Member Rina earned a degree from De La Salle University. Honorable Lindsey P. Horvath Jamie Cross is a Simi Valley Human President Resources Analyst. She joined the Marcel Rodarte, city staff in April, 2000, and Executive Director continues to serve with the city more than 20-years later. Jamie 17315 Studebaker Road, Suite 210 Cerritos, California 90703 earned a BA in organizational Telephone: 562-622-5533 leadership from California Lutheran University. City Manager Newsletter By Trackdown Management Page | 4 July, 2020 Special Volume No. 13: Issue No. 13 Professional Women in Cities borah Collins began her working career in Sausalito as an Administrative Assistant from Simi Valley to Sonora with an information technology and services firm in 1983. In 1984 she went to work as a softwareShannon Nash support began technician her public service for an career on- line software systems company in Chico. Sheas joineda Planning the Intern Chic foro the city City staff of Visalia in 1994 in1987. as Community Services Officer (CSO), and in She joined the Simi Valley city staff in October, 20012012 she as antook HR aManagement Management Analyst. Analyst Currently with the Chico Police Department. In 2009 sheShannon moved is toa theSenior City Planner Manager's for the Office city. in a Management Analyst post. Deborah earnedShannon a BAearne in dsocial an AA work degree from fromCalifornia the State University, Chico, and an MS in law fromCollege Champlain of the Sequoias, College. a BS in city and regional planning from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and an MPPA from California Lutheran University. Sommer Barwick worked for the City of Burbank from 2000 to 2007, before joining the Simi Valley city staff as a Senior Administrative Analyst (2007-2011). She was promoted to Deputy Director of Community Programs & Facilities (2011-2013), and in August 2013 she was promoted to Director of Community Services. Sommer left the city in July, 2018. She became an Academic Specialist for the Conejo Valley Unified School District in August, 2018. Sommer earned a BA from California Lutheran University and an MPA from California State University, Northridge.