Roanoke city council has appointed a new city manager.
Monday morning, council voted to hire Valmarie Turner. Turner has more than 30 years of experience in local government and most recently was deputy city manager for the City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia.
Turner will take over the job in mid-January but was introduced at a news conference Monday afternoon. Turner said the city has opportunities to create more jobs. "Not just any jobs, but higher paying jobs. So economic development would certainly be a focus.”
She also identified affordable housing as both a challenge and opportunity. Turner said the city should "take a really good look at our housing stock, see if there are some opportunities, even if we have to do some adaptive reuse. Just to look at housing in totality so that we have housing options available for the continuum. That’s 0% of area median income to up to 100% of area median income.”
Turner said she had visited Roanoke numerous times since moving to Virginia from Florida in 2017. Turner cited both professional and personal reasons for pursuing the opportunity. "I absolutely love the culture here and, more importantly, the people," Turner said.
Because of when she will take over the position, Turner said she expects to heavily focus on the budget in the near-term.
City council members praised Turner at Monday's news conference. Council member Trish White-Boyd noted that Turner quickly rose to the top of a list of 40 candidates. Mayor Sherman Lea said council's support for her hiring was unanimous.
Council will have four new members when Turner arrives in January. White-Boyd said they were given the opportunity to meet with Turner. Those who did supported her hiring, according to White-Boyd.
Roanoke’s previous city manager, Bob Cowell resigned in June. Management consultant Lydia Pettis Patton has been filling the role in the interim.
Here is the complete announcement from Roanoke City Council:
The Roanoke City Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Valmarie H.
Turner as its new City Manager. At its meeting on December 2nd, City Council unanimously approved an employment agreement with Ms. Turner and appointed her
as City Manager. Ms. Turner brings over 30 years of local government experience to the position with an extensive background in community and economic development,
social and human services programs, finance and procurement, and public improvement projects. Most recently, she served as the Deputy City Manager for the
City of Fairfax, Virginia. Ms. Turner succeeds Bob Cowell, who resigned in June. Dr.
Lydia Pettis Patton, an Executive Manager with the Berkley Group, has served as
Interim City Manager during the transition.
City Council Member and Personnel Committee Chair Trish White-Boyd said, “We are
excited to welcome Val Turner to the City of Roanoke. Council was impressed by her
demeanor and her experience with many issues facing the City such as economic
development, affordable housing, and homelessness. She has an excellent reputation
as a leader, a team builder, and someone who builds collaborative relationships with
stakeholders in the community. We are certain that Val will be an asset to the Roanoke
Valley and are looking forward to her assuming her duties.”
Mayor Sherman Lea added, “We were fortunate to have a very strong pool of qualified
applicants and Ms. Turner rose to the top. I am confident that she will work well with the new Mayor and Council to further improve the quality of life in Roanoke.”
The Roanoke City Council conducted a national search for the new City Manager,
assisted by The Berkley Group of Bridgewater, Virginia. The Berkley Group received
applications, conducted initial interviews with the most qualified candidates, and assisted in selecting finalists for interviews with Council. Two of the newly elected members to Council participated in the interviews.
Ms. Turner earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Economics, with a minor
in Business, from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration, with a specialization in Public Policy, from Walden
University. Additionally, Ms. Turner has completed the Senior Executive Institute at the
University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center, and she is recognized as a Credentialed
Manager by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). She is also a member of the Virginia Local Government Management Association, the League of Women in Government, and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.
Ms. Turner held the position of Department Director for over a decade in multiple local governments across Florida before being appointed Assistant/Deputy County
Administrator for Loudoun County, Virginia, in 2017. In this role, she oversaw a range of departments and offices, including Human Services and Community Development Departments, Finance and Procurement, Family Services, Housing and Community
Development, Parks, Recreation, and Community Services, as well as the Office of
Equity and Inclusion and the Office of Public Affairs and Communications. She also
served for a time as the Acting Director of the Department of Finance and Procurement. In addition to serving as Deputy City Manager in Fairfax, Ms. Turner was the Acting City Manager during a transition of leadership.
Ms. Turner commented, “I look forward to working with City staff and City Council to implement its vision for the City of Roanoke. My early priorities will be meeting with
Council members, engaging with City staff, and building relationships with business and non-profit partners in the City and region and with the other local governments in the Roanoke Valley. I am excited about this opportunity to serve the residents of Roanoke and appreciate the confidence that City Council has shown in me.”
Ms. Turner will join the City of Roanoke as the new City Manager in mid-January.
