It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We’re counting down the top 100 influencers in local government. Today, met ten amazing local leaders who are making a difference in their communities. View the full list on the #ELGLTraeger page, and share your congrats using the hashtag #ELGLTraeger on social media!
#11 – Megan Lynn
Senior Management Associate, City of Scottsdale
Three words to describe the nominee:
Detailed, Successful, Planner
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Megan is a Traeger everyday during the normal year, during 2020, she took it to a whole new level. She lead the team that converted all our public meetings to remote meetings and has covered more than 100 remote meetings this year. She researched the technology, set up detailed procedures, hosts meetings flawlessly and with grace (drawing rave reviews from the mayor, council members, staff and even zoning attorneys). We kept getting new challenges, and she kept meeting them with professionalism and grace under intense pressure. All this, and keeping her day job moving forward, supervising a management associate and graduate student fellow, and keeping their work on track too. Megan gets results from her detailed planning and thoughtful approach to work.
Anything else to add?
She joined twitter this year but #MuniMegan will exist forever. Megan is awesome and an upcoming local government rockstar. She continuously exudes an inquisitive mind which is paramount for all future leaders. She is knowledgeable, determined and a genuine professional working in the City Manager’s Office in one of the premiere cities in Arizona.
#12 – Mo Young
Equity and Access Coordinator, Lane County, OR
Three words to describe the nominee:
Integrity, Compassion, Generosity
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Mo Young is an individual of remarkable influence in Eugene and Lane County. She carries with her a moral clarity combined with a great sense of humor and a generosity of spirit that many of us, both within and outside of the county’s local governments find extraordinary. While truly accepting people as they are, Mo supports, challenges, educates and inspires us. She does this in both the work she’s chosen and the life she lives.
Mo is generous with her time and skills and works tirelessly every day to help her community in addition to the invaluable work she does with Lane County. Mo has always been dedicated to making her community and government stronger and is well known throughout Eugene, on both professional and personal levels, as someone who will take questions and work through them to help the people and organization that she works with more knowledgable and equitable.
Anything else to add?
She’s amazing. I have know Mo personally for over 25 years and am amazed by her powerful presence, her knowledge, and her willingness to share that knowledge openly to help those people around her.
#13 – John (JC) Hudgison
Construction Services Ctr Manager, City of Tampa, FL – Development & Growth Management
Three words to describe the nominee:
caring, energetic, dedicated.
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Worked with the Columbus City Council to provide $1million to attack blight in the community. Able to clear three trailer parks that had been harboring crime and illegal activity, also cleared 30 other houses that had been on the demolition list for years, but just did not have the funding.
Participated in ELGL Inspire in Athens in November 2019. Spoke to graduate students about public administration and how to get involved in building safety.
Anything else to add?
2020 has been wild, starting in Columbus Georgia and then a new role in Tampa, FL during the COVID pandemic. Moving to a new state during the pandemic and hitting the ground rolling and providing new initiatives in Tampa. Implemented a totally digital permitting process which has allowed construction to continue in Tampa.
#14 – Sarita Nair
Chief Administrative Officer, City of Albuquerque, NM
Three words to describe the nominee:
Innovative, Leader, Passionate
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Sarita has led the creation of the City’s new Community Safety Department, which is a shift in how the City responds to 911 calls. She has also led the City’s COVID-19 response.
I am nominating her because she is a true leader and innovator. Her work is really important not just for our community but for others to learn from and she is always willing to share what she knows and how she approaches projects.
Local government leadership lists should include Sarita because of the work she’s done in the important area of community safety, especially in 2020 as we are all more reflective on public safety services and also COVID. I hope to learn more from Sarita in 2021 at ELGL events and conferences.
Anything else to add?
Sarita was a GovLove Podcast guest in 2020.
#15 – Anthony Kuo
Councilmember, City of Irvine
Three words to describe the nominee:
Passionate, Engaged, and Unifier
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Councilmember Anthony Kuo is the first member of the Irvine City Council to have grown up in Irvine. For more than 20 years, his family owned and operated a restaurant in Irvine, remembered fondly by many longtime Irvine residents. As a high school student, Councilmember Kuo began his service to our community early by working part time at City Hall, learning about the important roles the City Council, School Board, Chamber of Commerce and other civic leaders play to make Irvine an amazing community.
Councilmember Kuo was elected to the City Council in 2018, bringing almost eight years of experience as a Planning Commissioner, including four consecutive terms as Chairman. During that time, he also served on the city’s Task Force on Housing Needs for the Developmentally Disabled and the Ad Hoc Committee on Veterans Affordable Housing and graduated from Irvine’s Community Police Academy.
In the community, Councilmember Kuo serves on the Board of Directors of the Irvine Children’s Fund and the Advisory Boards for Crime Survivors and Brandman University’s School of Business and Professional Studies. He previously served in Board leadership roles for the Brigham Young University Management Society of Orange County, the Raise Foundation of Orange County, the Irvine Valley College Foundation, and the Exchange Club of Irvine.
Anything else to add?
Irvine is lucky to have homegrown Councilmember Kuo. His depth of commitment to Irvine (and candy) is like no other, and he is using his passion and platform to benefit the people and the community he loves. His boundless energy and enthusiasm are infectious to those of us lucky enough to be around him. #fromirvineforirvine. He also had a blast participating in the ELGL take over Tuesday Instagram challenge.
#16 – DeAngelo Bowden
Social Sustainability Specialist, City of Fort Collins
Three words to describe the nominee:
Enthusiastic. Optimistic. Vigilant
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
DeAngelo Bowden is someone you’ll be continuously impressed with. His diverse background in environmental sustainability, housing, development, disaster assistance, equity, diversity, inclusion (whew) – the list goes on and on – has positioned DeAngelo to do some incredible work in local government. He has the ability to not only get the work done on the dance floor, but to go back up to the balcony for a bird’s eye view to see how everything works and how to identify what is next. He’s currently working on his MPPA at Colorado State University and I have no doubt he’ll continue to do amazing things after graduation!
Anything else to add?
DeAngelo is one of the most enthusiastic folks I’ve met and his positive energy is contagious. Thank you, DeAngelo, for bringing sunshine to your work!
#17 – Pete Buryk
Director – CivicLab Norfolk, City of Norfolk
Three words to describe the nominee:
Leader, Collaborator, Reflective
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
In 2019 Pete was presented with the opportunity to create a new organization within the City of Norfolk with the broad goal of connecting the city’s data, strategic planning, and performance management programs. Pete has since brought to life CivicLabNorfolk. Under Pete’s leadership, CivicLab has developed the city’s first data governance policies, revamped the city’s open data portal, introduced an enterprise business intelligence platform, trained hundreds of city employees in Agile innovation methods, completed countless data analytics projects, and performed numerous consultations with city departments to help build data models and develop in house data analytics capacity. In short, Pete and his team have made Norfolk a better community.
Anything else to add?
Despite the work required to get CivicLabNorfolk off the ground Pete always finds time for his first passion – his family. He can often be found building Lego replicas of Frank Lloyd Wright creations with his three kids, overpaying for school charity auction items, or running bingo night fundraisers.
#18 – Leah Tivoli
Partnerships Manager, City of Seattle
Three words to describe the nominee:
Tireless, determined, solutions-oriented
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Leah helped to stand up a robust free City COVID testing program, putting our residents’ experiences front and center in the design.
Leah has put Seattle on the map in the innovation and user experience space. People know that if they want to learn from a true innovator to seek out Leah and her work in Seattle. I was especially impressed with her empathy and dedication when COVID hit, and there was no playbook to follow. It’s inspiring to watch a leader chart a new path to keep a community safe.
Anything else to add?
Leah has been with the City of Seattle for 13 years, bringing her infectious optimism and determination to every team she’s been a part of and led. She is an all-star!
#19 – Ben Duncan
Chief Diversity and Equity Officer, Multnomah County, OR
Three words to describe the nominee:
Passionate, Creative, Visionary
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Ben leads the Office of Diversity and Equity, which serves as a model for the profession in creating a more equitable workplace. He has developed strategies and models that other local governments can use. He has also been working on equity and environmental justice issues his whole career, starting as an activist and becoming a leader within the County.
I am nominating Ben because his session at #ELGL20 was my favorite of the conference. He approaches his job with empathy and heart, and we need more of that in local government. He was also very well prepared and his remarks left an impact on me and my organization.
Anything else to add?
Ben was a GovLove podcast guest and a speaker at #ELGL20.
#20 – Warren Logan
City of Oakland, Policy Director of Mobility and Inter Agency Relations
Three words to describe the nominee:
Gracious, charismatic, guru
Why does the nominee deserve a 2020 Traeger Award?
Warren is such a champion for the power of local government to make a difference in people’s lives, and how well-thought out and collaborative policymaking can break systemic barriers. In particular, for 2020, his work on interagency relations in response to the COVID pandemic, from parklets to sidewalks to slow streets to rapidly deploying city resources to place testing facilities in communities of color is incredible.
Anything else to add?
Warren’s pet corgi is SO cute and has her own Instagram.
Warren has been a GovLove guest, and has helped at #ELGLInspire and conference events.