Washington – Seattle has selected Shannon Smith to take over as chief technology officer (CTO). She will officially assume her duties on June 8. Smith returns to the public sector after a two-year role with a private company. Her most recent public leadership position was as CIO chief of staff for King County, Washington. She has also served as the applications lead for technology business systems with Bellevue, Washington, and as senior IT manager with Seattle. Smith will replace Rob Lloyd in the role.
Louisiana – Ronald Baptiste has been chosen to assume the role of interim CEO for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Baptiste currently serves as the authority’s director of procurement and grants. He has spent decades in various leadership roles for the transit and financial sectors. He will operate as interim CEO while RTA conducts its search for a permanent candidate.
Wisconsin – John Florsheim has been selected to join the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Board of Directors. Florsheim currently operates as president and COO of a private shoe company. He has spent more than three decades with the company and has held senior leadership positions since 2002. He will succeed Jack Salzwedel on the board.
California – Tomás Herrera-Mishler has stepped into his role as director of parks, recreation and community services (PRCS) for Culver City. His first day was June 1. Herrera-Mishler brings decades of experience delivering extensive park, public landscape and tourism planning projects across both private and public sectors. In the public sector, he was most recently with the city of Westminster, Colorado, for nearly three years as director of parks, recreation and libraries.
Virginia – Lavar Youmans has officially joined the city of Roanoke as its next assistant city manager, assuming his duties June 1. Youmans brings 16 years of experience to the role, most recently as county administrator for Hampton County, South Carolina.
Nevada – Michael Smith has been promoted to CTO for the Nevada Governor’s Technology Office. He has been with the office for more than four years, previously serving as deputy CIO/CTO, division chief for client services and as an IT manager. He also served as an IT professional for the state Department of Administration for six years.
Georgia – Lyn McDonald has been appointed as finance director for the city of Perry. She brings more than two decades of financial experience to the role, previously working for multiple private sector companies in the technology, manufacturing and banking industries.
Arkansas – The Benton County Solid Waste District has promoted Lydia Wilkerson to director. Wilkerson has been serving as interim director sine Jan. 1, simultaneously operating as the district’s assistant director. She originally joined the district in 2022 as a program manager. She succeeded Wendy Bland in the role.
