San Marcos Community Invited To Meet City Manager Finalists

The community reception is part of a two-day assessment of the city manager finalists that includes interviews, interaction with staff, city council members and the community, as well as city tours. 

The City of San Marcos is hosting a reception to encourage the community to meet the finalists for the City’s top job. The event will be held on Thursday, July 13 at Dick’s Classic Garage,120 Stagecoach Trail, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The community reception is part of a two-day assessment of the city manager finalists that includes interviews, interaction with staff, city council members and the community, as well as city tours.

Strategic Government Resources (SGR), is assisting the City of San Marcos with the search process. The search included a candidate pool of 55 applications from candidates in 21 states.  The applicant pool was narrowed down to the following finalists:

James Childers has 12 years of local government experience and is currently the Assistant City Manager for the City of Abilene, Texas, where he previously served as Director of Community Services. He also served as the Assistant Director of Code Compliance and as Management Development Associate for the City of Dallas, Texas, and as Human Resource Generalist for the Town of Flower Mound, Texas. Childers holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Midwestern State University.

Robert Cowell is currently the Deputy City Manager for the City of Amarillo, Texas, and has 22 years of local government experience.  He also served as the Executive Director of Planning and Development Services for the City of College Station, Texas, and Planning Division Manager and Senior Planner for Jefferson County, Missouri. Cowell is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice at Texas A&M University in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. An ICMA Credentialed Manager and a Certified Urban Planner, Cowell has a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics from St. Louis University.

Bert Lumbreras has 35 years of local government experience and has served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Austin, Texas since 2006. He previously served as Assistant City Manager for the City of Waco, Texas, and as City Manager in the Texas cities of Uvalde, Alamo, Floresville, and Dilley. Lumbreras holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Southwest Texas State University.

Michael Marrero has been with the City of Odessa, Texas for 22 years and currently serves as Deputy City Manager. He previously held the positions of Assistant City Manager, Director of Community Development, and Program Manager. Marrero holds a Master of Public Administration from Sul Ross State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Texas – Permian Basin.

Stephen Riley has 29 years of local government experience and currently serves as the Town Manager for the Town of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he also served as Director of Community Development. He previously served as City Planner for the City of Beaufort, South Carolina, and Planner for the Beaufort County Joint Planning Commission. He also worked as a Planner for BRW, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An ICMA Credentialed Manager, Riley holds Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa, and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography-Urban Studies from the University of Nebraska.