Promoted to Assistant City Manager

SCHERTZ ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER SARAH GONZALEZ HAS JUST STARTED IN HER NEW ROLE THIS PAST JANUARY, BUT SHE’S ALREADY A FAMILIAR FACE IN THE CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE.

By KIRA VILLARREAL

Gonzalez has been with the city for nearly 15 years, gradually working her way up to her current position, in which she’ll oversee the operations of five city departments. She is now the City’s first female Assistant City Manager. Although Gonzalez hadn’t always planned to pursue a career in public service, it has turned out to be an ideal fit, and one that has allowed her to pursue her passion for serving others.

Originally from Georgetown, Texas, Gonzalez attended Texas A&M University, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and a minor in Business Administration. She spent the early part of her career working in the media and financial services industries before relocating to New Braunfels with her husband and taking a job with the City of Schertz Public Works Department. She moved to the City Manager’s Office, where she was later promoted to Assistant to the City Manager, a role which she held for six years, and which gave her the opportunity to oversee two city departments.

In her new position, Gonzalez will be responsible for leading five departments. These include the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, as well as Finance, Library, Public Affairs, and Human Resources. She’ll develop and direct the implementation of goals, policies, procedures, and work standards for those departments, assist with budget development, and work closely with the City Manager, City Council, and citizen groups to develop programs and implement projects.

According to City Manager Steve Williams, Gonzalez is uniquely qualified for this role. “I believe that Sarah is an excellent fit as Assistant City Manager,” he said. Not only does she bring a wealth of experience and institutional knowledge to the position, but she’s also well-liked and respected throughout the organization and the community. I’m excited to see what the future holds for her and our team.”

Although she’s only been in her new role for a few months, Gonzalez says the transition has gone well, and she gives much of that credit to the outstanding team she works with. So far, she’s really enjoying the job, and says she never doubted that it would be a rewarding and fulfilling role.

“My professional passion is helping others, so public service is a career field that came naturally to me,” she said. “Growing up, I was always involved in service organizations, and I really enjoy the feeling that comes from giving back and serving others.”

Among her immediate goals as the new Assistant City Manager, Gonzalez wants to get familiar with the processes and procedures of the departments that are now reporting to her. She says that she loves to problem solve and work collaboratively across departments to find ways to do things more effectively and efficiently. Another of her priorities will be to continue to grow the Schertz Emerging Leaders Program. Currently in its second year, the program is the City’s first employee leadership development initiative, and a program that she helped develop.

Among the biggest challenges that she’ll face, Gonzalez cites the rapid growth and development of the city and the issues that come along with that growth, but she’s confident in her team and their ability to address the most pressing needs of the community.

“We have a great team, and we will continue to work together to address these challenges and find workable solutions while still being good stewards of our taxpayers’ dollars,” she said.

On a personal note, Gonzalez is married to her college sweetheart, Ismael, and the couple has two daughters, ages 11 and 8. In her free time, she enjoys running and has completed a marathon and several half-marathons. She also enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling with her family.

Overall, Gonzalez is thrilled to be taking the next step in her public service career in the same city where it all started. “I’ve been very fortunate to be able to start a job nearly 15 years ago and turn it into a career,” she said. “The support that I have received from colleagues and the community has been wonderful and has solidified that this decision was a good one. I’m excited to be a part of it and see where we go next.”