Podcast: Role of the Assistant Manager and Nonpartisan Leadership with Emily Colon

Posted on April 25, 2025


Emily Colon

Emily Colon
Former Deputy City Manager
City of Lakeland, FL
LinkedIn


Emily Colon, former Deputy City Manager for the City of Lakeland, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about her career and two important management concepts. She recently wrote about the importance of nonpartisanship and she discussed how it can be a superpower for local government staff in an era of high polarization. She shared her approach for how she managed department directors and other positions in her career that were subject matter experts in their field when she was not, and how that can put a manager in a unique position. Emily also talked about her recent career transition and balancing a two career household as a local government professional.

Host: Ben Kittelson

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Lakeland’s Deputy City Manager Emily Colon resigns. Family is moving to Orlando

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