City Manager’s Office
The Vallejo city manager serves as chief executive officer of the city. Hired by the Vallejo City Council, the city manager reports directly to the seven-person council. Multiple divisions, including the City Clerk’s Office, Housing, and Informational Technology, are included in the City Manager’s Office.
Anne Cardwell, interim Vallejo city manager, June 2, 2021 – present*
*Cardwell was hired as Vallejo’s assistant city manager in December 2018.
Employment Agreement as Interim City Manager (July 2021)
Employment Agreement as Assistant City Manager (December 2018)
Conditional Offer of Employment as Assistant City Manager (November 2018)
Greg Nyhoff, Vallejo city manager, January 22, 2018 – May 2021
Resignation and Separation Agreement (Signed, July 9, 2021)
Resignation and Separation Agreement (unsigned)
Employment Agreement (Entered into on December 14, 2017)
Teri Killgore, interim Vallejo city manager, November 11, 2017 – January 21, 2018*
*Killgore was hired as Vallejo’s assistant city manager in May 2016. Following the retirement of Daniel Keen as city manager, Killgore was tapped to serve as interim city manager from November 2017 to January 2018. She returned to the assistant city manager position in January 2018 with the hiring of Gregory Nyhoff as city manager. She left the city organization in July 2018.
Employment Agreement (Entered into September 2017)
Daniel Keen, Vallejo city manager, March 5, 2012 – November 2017
First Amendment to Employment Agreement (2015)
Employment Agreement (Entered into on January 18, 2012)
Gillian Hayes, interim assitant city manager, October 2020 – present*
*Hired as the city’s planning & development services director in October 2019, Hayes was promoted to interim deputy city manager in October 2020. She was promoted to interim assistant city manager in July 2021.
Differential Pay Authorization as Interim Deputy City Manager (2020)
Employment Agreement (2019)
Revised Offer of Employment (November 15, 2019)
Conditional Offer of Employment (September 4, 2019)
Heather Ruiz, interim deputy city manager, October 2020 – March 2021*
*Hired as the city’s human resources director in July 2018, Ruiz was promoted to interim deputy city manager in October 2020. Ruiz left the city organization in March 2021 to take a job with the city of Napa.
Differential Pay Authorization as Interim Deputy City Manager (2020)
Conditional Offer of Employment (May 2018)
Will Morat, assistant to the city manager for economic development, December 2013 – April 2020*
*Morat was first hired in December 2013 as an administrative analyst in the city manager’s office. He served in multiple roles within City Hall before becoming assistant to the city manager for economic development. Morat was terminated in April 2020.
Offer of Employment (December 2013)
Joanna Altman, assistant to the city manager for communications & special projects, October 2012 – April 2020*
*Altman was first hired in October 2012 as an administrative analyst II in the city manager’s office. She was elevated to the position of assistant to the city manager for communications & special projects. Altman was terminated in April 2020.
Offer of Employment (September 2012)
Paul Kelley, senior advisor to City Manager Greg Nyhoff, May 2020 – present*
*Kelley serves as economic development manager overseeing the city’s economic development division
Conditional Offer of Employment (May 2020)
Offer of Employment (March 2020)
Dawn G. Abrahamson, city clerk, July 2011 – present
Conditional Job Offer (June 2011)
Christina Lee, communications and public information officer, March 2020 – present
Conditional Offer of Employment (February 2020)
Lyan Joy Pernala, administrative analyst and public information officer, January – May 2019
Shelee Loughmiller, community and volunteer coordinator, April 2019 – present
Conditional Offer of Employment (March 2019)
Judy Shepard-Hall, housing & community development program manager, October 2018 – present
Confirmation of Employment email (October 2018)
Conditional Offer of Employment (September 2018)
Naveed Ashraf, chief innovation officer, September 2019 – present
Conditional Offer of Employment (August 2019)
Gregory Taylor, information & technology director, August 2007 – September 2019*
*With departure of Taylor, the information & technology director position was eliminated. The chief innovation officer position created to lead the city’s IT division.
Felicia Flores, executive assistant to the city manager, March 2020 – present
*Flores was hired as an administrative analyst in March 2020. She was made executive assistant to the city manager by interim City Manager Anne Cardwell in July 2021.
Melissa Rhodes, executive assistant to the city manager
Offer of Employment for Temporary Position of Deputy Clerk (May 2019)
Michelle Straub, executive assistant to the city manager, October 2012 – December 2020.
Conditional Job Offer (October 2012)
City Attorney’s Office
Veronica Nebb, Vallejo city attorney, November 2020 – present
Employment Agreement (2020)
Randy Risner, interim Vallejo city attorney, February – November 2020*
Interim Employment Offer as City Attorney (2020)
*Risner Started working with city of Vallejo in December 2018 as chief assistant city attorney. He was promoted to interim CA in February 2020 with departure of CA Claudia Quintana. Risner returned to chief assistant CA position with hiring of Veronica Nebb as CA in November 2020.
Claudia Quintana, Vallejo city attorney, 2012 – April 2020
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement (2019)
First Amendment to Employment Agreement (2018)
Employment Agreement (2012)
Retirement letter – redacted (October 2019)
Retirement announcement (October 2019)
Planning And Development Services
The Planning and Development Services (PDS) Department promotes citywide development and increase investment in the community. The planning, building, and economic development divisions are part of the department.
Christina Ratcliffe, interim planning & development services director, September 2020 – present*
*Ratcliffe was originally hired as the city’s planning manager before being swiftly promoted to interim planning & development services director following the promotion of Gillian Hayes to interim deputy city manager.
Conditional Offer of Employment as Planning Manager (Aug. 2020)
Mandale “Rob” White, planning & development services director, December 2018 – April 2019
Separation Agreement and Release of Claims (April 2019)
Margaret Kavanaugh-Lynch, planning manager*
Kavanaugh-Lynch was hired as planning manager with the promotion of Christina Ratcliffe to interim planning & development services director.
Afshan Hamid, planning manager, September 2017 – June 2020.
Steve Arnold, chief building inspector, present
Lonell Butler, chief building inspector
Ron Gerber, economic development officer, 2017 – January 2019.
Water Department
The Water Department provides administrative, engineering, water treatment, and maintenance support for the City’s potable water treatment and distribution.
Mike Malone, water director, April 2017 – present
Public Works Department
The Public Works Department is responsible for the engineering design, construction, and maintenance of the City’s roads, sidewalks, traffic signals, trees, open spaces, and buildings.
Terrance Davis, public works director, August 2017 – present
Employment Agreement (July 2017)
Conditional Offer of Employment (July 2017)
Finance Department
The Finance Department assists other departments in the city in meeting their service objectives by allocating and monitoring the Vallejo’s financial resources, financial reporting, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable and other financial transactions.
Rekha Nayar, finance director, March 2019 – present
Employment Agreement (March 2019)
Differential Pay Authorization (January 2019)
Ron Millard, finance director
Human Resources Department
The human resources department provides personnel management and labor relations support to all city departments.
Mark Love, interim human resources director, March 1, 2021 – present*
Love was first hired as assistant human resources director and was elevated to interim HR director following the departure of Heather Ruiz.
Employee Status Change Form (June 21, 2021)
End of Differential Pay Authorization (June 20, 2021)
Differential Pay Authorization (March 1, 2021)
Risk Management Division
The Risk Management Division serves as a resource for city of Vallejo employees and citizens by identifying and managing risks, safe guarding city assets, protecting employee well-being, promoting safety, and reducing the frequency, severity and associated cost of claims.
Armond Sarkis, risk manager, November 2020 – present
Conditional Offer of Employment (October 2020)
Erika Leahy, risk manager, February 2019 – June 2020
Herbert Lester, risk manager, August to December 2018
Racheal Frederick-Vijay, homeless services coordinator, May 2019 – March/April 2021
Consultant and Professional Services Agreement (May 2019)
Consultant and Professional Services Agreement (July 2019)
Special Advisors
Howard Jordan, senior advisor to City Manager Greg Nyhoff, May 2019 – June 2020
Statement of Work (2019)
Slater Matzke, senior advisor to City Manager Greg Nyhoff, January 20 – April 23, 2020
Matzke began with the city as a FUSE Executive Fellow — tasked with improving the city’s image and also bringing investment opportunities to Vallejo — in September 2016. When his year term ended, the city hired Matzke as a consultant aiding the city’s economic development and marketing.
He was then named as senior advisor to Vallejo City Manager Greg Nyhoff before he was terminated in April 2020.
Conditional Offer of Employment (January 2020)
Fourth Amendment to Consultant and Professional Services Agreement (December 2019)
Third Amendment to Consultant and Professional Services Agreement (July 2019)
Second Amendment to Consultant and Professional Services Agreement (July 2018)
First Amendment to Consultant and Professional Services Agreement (June 2018)
Consultant and Professional Services Agreement (October 2017)
Greater Vallejo Recreation District
Gabe Lanusse, general manager, July 2017 – present
Employment MOU (2020)
Second Addendum to Employment MOU (2019)
Employment MOU (2017)