City of Greeley team,
I want to share some updates to our leadership team — several key positions that had been open in our organizational chart I am happy to announce are now filled. As I’ve explained in prior updates, as the organizational structure has evolved, we’ve worked to define the roles needed to support our strategy, our plans for economic growth, and the continued evolution of our great city. My goal has always been to build a strong team with additional expertise and capacity to manage all the projects — big and small — that are pivotal to achieving our vision for the future of Greeley.
Leadership Transition: Assistant City Manager Community Well-Being
In addition to that news, I also wanted to announce an upcoming departure from our leadership team: Juliana Kitten, Assistant City Manager Community Well-Being, will be leaving Greeley at the end of May. She has accomplished so much in her time with the city. Most importantly, she established a critical function and built a network of committed individuals within the government and our community to focus on solving extremely complicated issues. Under her leadership, her team has built comprehensive strategies for Housing Solutions and Homeless Solutions. The talented leaders of those departments, Deb Callies and Mandy Shreve, will continue their work to take those strategies to the next level. We won’t be backfilling her role and instead will be moving those departments under existing leaders.
The Immigrant Affairs office and Code Compliance departments are also under Community Well-Being. Work is progressing on establishing Immigrant Affairs, including the formation of an internal steering committee and conducting listening sessions with the community organizations and leaders most connected to this work. The goal is to ensure the city is a welcoming place for new residents by doing what we can within our purview and supporting the great work already taking place in the community.
The Code Compliance team is preparing an RFP, with council input, for an assessment of department operations and tools. This information would be used to make sure the code enforcement department is where it needs to be as the city grows.
New Roles for Existing Leaders
Blair Snow, who formerly served as Assistant to the City Manager and as Acting City Manager when I was out on leave, has now been assigned the new title of Chief Operating Officer (COO). This change is a title adjustment to more accurately reflect the broad range of work she’s been doing and will continue to do. These ongoing responsibilities include serving as adviser on key priorities, as well as aligning organizational efforts with our strategic plan and long-term objectives, managing significant projects such as the West Greeley Economic Development project, and driving operational and administrative efficiency. She will also play a critical role in steering the city’s response to complex challenges and fostering collaboration across various departments to enhance service delivery and community engagement.
Paul Trombino is now Managing Director, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. In this position, he will manage critical citywide special projects and the administration of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). A key aspect of his job will be to ensure these three areas are meticulously organized, prioritized, and integrated into the city’s strategic plan. The consolidation of these responsibilities into one role provides much-needed visibility into projects across departments to better manage resources and scheduling and minimize disruptions to the public, as well as improve financial efficiency.
New to the City
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Rick Ruggieri will be joining the City of Greeley in April as Chief Public Safety Officer (CPSO). He will be responsible for leading and coordinating the City of Greeley’s public safety operations, including the Police Department, Fire Department, and serving as a liaison to the municipal courts.
Rick will develop and implement strategic initiatives that enhance public safety, foster interdepartmental collaboration, and ensure the effective delivery of public safety services to the community. He will also play a pivotal role in shaping public safety policies and practices that reflect the city’s commitment to equity, transparency and community engagement.
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Rick served in the FBI for the past 20 years, most recently as Section Chief (SES) for the Critical Incident Response Group, based at headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he led national and international contingency planning and crisis response deployment during global critical incidents and special events. Prior to the FBI, Rick served as a local police officer in Virginia and as a volunteer paramedic and fire fighter for many years.
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Kylie Jackson is joining the city as Director of Innovation and High Performance, starting February 27, reporting to the Chief Information Officer. She will lead the new department of Innovation and High-Performance Management, and drive innovation and process improvement through project management and technology enablement.
Her department will include a Project Management Office (PMO) that will focus on best practices, transforming internal processes and system implementations with the goal of improving efficiency, effectiveness and creating high performance across city government. The team will also oversee the new 311 system, this will be the central hub for receiving requests and delivering information and services to residents.
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Previously, Kylie was the Director of Data & Innovation for the City of Sugar Land, Texas, where she led a multidisciplinary team that drove data-driven decision-making and effective change management across the organization. Under her leadership, the City of Sugar Land earned a silver-level What Works Cities Certification, which recognizes cities that use data to improve services, allocate funding, and engage residents.
Please see the updated organizational chart here.
Opportunities Ahead
I know many of you may have questions about these new roles on the leadership team. I thought it would help to explain these changes in the context of the ambitious goals we’ve set for Greeley. We’re pursuing a wide range of opportunities for economic growth, both in the near and long term.
We are working on several transformational initiatives, as well as on a long list of projects to improve quality of life, enhance public safety, further strengthen our economic vitality and increase job opportunities for our residents. What we’re doing today is laying the foundation for what we as a city and community will become.
To do all that successfully requires resources and expertise. The changes we’re making expand our already considerable capabilities and our capacities, enabling us to scale up as the many projects in the works — the expansion of the airport, the downtown and development on each end of the city — move forward. As you’ve probably heard me say, if we don’t manage change, change will manage us.
This is a long message, I know, and I thank everyone for taking the time to read it through. I welcome your questions, and I will keep the communications coming. In the months ahead I plan to meet in person with departments and teams across our organization, as will other members of the leadership team. I appreciate your commitment to our city government and to our city.
Raymond
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