February 10, 2022 — City Manager John Blair announces several key personnel actions taken to expand City operations and improve the delivery of key services to residents.

“We’ve moved quickly to place experienced leaders on our team who expand our ability to provide quality services to all Santa Feans and who will help us move the City forward,” said City Manager Blair.

Today, the City is announcing:

Manuel Gonzales has been named Director of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITT). Mr. Gonzales has 29 years of experience in the IT field and most recently served as interim ITT director for the City and as an ITT Program Manager. Before joining the City workforce, Mr. Gonzales was a Customer Engineer for IBM, a System Administrator at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a Project Specialist, System Analyst for Santa Fe County, and a Project Manager for the New Mexico Department of Information Technology Oversight and Compliance Office.

Daniel Maki has been named Senior Advisor/Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator. In this role, Mr. Maki will act as a liaison between City Government leadership and local communities and organizations to ensure real-time communications and feedback on City policies and procedures. He will act in an advisory role to City Manager Blair, Mayor Alan Webber, and the City Councilors. Mr. Maki has broad experience working in government, having served as Director of Boards and Commissions for Governor Bill Richardson and as a Legislative Assistant for then-U.S. Representative Ben Ray Lujan, among other roles. He has a B.S in Political Science from American University.

Melissa McDonald has been named Parks and Open Space Director within the Public Works Department. Ms. McDonald had been serving as interim director for over a year. She has worked for the City since 2015 and previously served as River and Watershed Manager. Ms. McDonald has deep local experience in horticulture, landscape management, water conservation, stormwater management, and is now leading Parks, the Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe, the Municipal Recreation Complex, and the Stormwater Office. Ms. McDonald is a licensed landscape architect with a B.A. in that field from Virginia Tech University.

Other Recent Hires:

 Ricky Bejerano’s appointment as Chief Accounting Officer was announced on January 18, 2022.

 Several hires in the Land Use Department were announced on January 24.

 The appointment of Maria Sanchez-Tucker as Community Services Director was announced on January 25, 2022.

The City has also increased its capacity in a variety of departments with hires that were made in December of 2021.

• Cody Minnich, Project Manager, Community and Economic Development Department/Affordable Housing Division. 
• Adam Lord, Case Management Supervisor, Community Health and Safety Department.
• Rikki Valentine, Forestry Tech Engine Operator, Community Health and Safety Department/Fire Support Services Division.
• Charlene Sandoval, Administrative Assistant, Community Health and Safety Department/Police Operations.
• Dominic Martinez, Animal Services Officer, Community Health and Safety Department/Police Operations.
• Hee Lee, Accounting Manager, Finance Department/Finance Administration Division.
• Andrew Hardinge, Auto and Security Systems Administrator, Public Utilities Department/Wastewater Division.