The firm conducting Tallahassee’s nationwide search for a new city manager has recommended three candidates for interviews, including the city’s current deputy city manager and two candidates with executive-level government experience outside Florida. S. Renée Narloch Associates is recommen ding Scott Andrews, former county manager of Doña Ana County, New Mexico; Karen Jumonville, Tallahassee deputy city manager; and Valerie Washington, assistant city manager in Fort Worth, Texas. The three emerged from a field of 37 applicants from nine states and the District of Columbia, including 13 current or former city and county managers and five deputy or assistant city managers. The recruiting firm screened candidates against the position requirements, conducted preliminary interviews and reviewed public records before making its recommendations. The Tallahassee City Commission is scheduled to receive an update on the search at its Aug. 26 meeting. Scott Andrews Andrews brings experience as both a city and county manager and has worked in local government for more than two decades. Most recently, Andrews served as county manager for Doña Ana County, New Mexico, after being selected for the position in 2024. Before that, he was an assistant city manager in Bakersfield, California, where his responsibilities included finance, human resources, economic development, information technology, community relations and risk management. His previous positions included city manager of Covington, Georgia; assistant city administrator in Smyrna, Georgia; economic development director in Sugar Hill, Georgia; and several positions with the City of Temple Terrace, Florida. He has a bachelor’s degree in business, a master’s degree in public administration and a doctorate in organizational leadership. Andrews’ recent tenure in New Mexico, however, ended abruptly. The Doña Ana County Commission voted unanimously on July 21, 2026, to terminate his employment agreement without cause after a closed session. Andrews had served as county manager since October 2024. Karen Jumonville Jumonville offers the most extensive Tallahassee experience of the three candidates. She was promoted to deputy city manager in March 2025 after serving as an assistant city manager since 2022. At the time of her promotion, the city reported that she had more than 28 years of professional experience, including nearly 26 years with Tallahassee city government. Jumonville previously served as director of the city’s Growth Management Department beginning in 2010 and became the first woman to hold that position. She joined the city in 1999 after previously working for Leon County and the City of Quincy. As deputy city manager, Jumonville provides managerial oversight across city departments and directly oversees Resource Management, Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure, Environmental Services and Community Beautification, and Solid Waste. Those operations have a combined budget exceeding $270 million and approximately 700 employees. Jumonville earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Florida State University, including a doctorate in public administration, and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners. Valerie Washington Washington has served as an assistant city manager for Fort Worth, Texas, and has extensive experience in public safety-related government operations. In Fort Worth, Washington currently oversees Aviation, Environmental Services, the Office of the Medical Director and Property Management. She also has assignments involving the city’s Fire Ad Hoc Staffing Committee, 911 Working Group, MedStar emergency medical services and Payroll Task Force. Washington joined Fort Worth in 2015 after working for the City of Indianapolis. Her experience there included positions involving police, fire, emergency management, animal care and control, the Citizen Police Complaint Office and public safety communications. Her Fort Worth experience is potentially significant given the scope of Tallahassee’s city manager position. Tallahassee’s city manager oversees a nearly 4,000-person workforce, a roughly $1.2 billion operating and capital budget, six municipal utilities, the Tallahassee Police Department, a countywide fire department, parks and recreation operations and Tallahassee International Airport. What’s Next The three candidates are competing to replace City Manager Reese Goad, who has announced his retirement effective Sept. 30 or upon selection of his successor. Goad was named interim city manager in November 2017 and permanently appointed in September 2018. The City Commission hired S. Renée Narloch Associates in May for $30,000 to conduct the nationwide search. The process included meetings with the mayor and each commissioner to develop a candidate profile, national advertising, recruiting and headhunting, application screening, preliminary interviews and public-record searches.The finalists are scheduled for individual interviews with the mayor and commissioners on Sept. 1, followed by a public meet-and-greet from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Parkview at Cascades. On Sept. 2, the candidates will make public presentations before the City Commission, followed by commission deliberations from 9 a.m. to noon at City Hall. Following the interviews, the recruiter is expected to conduct detailed background, reference and education checks on the finalist, including credit, criminal, civil litigation and motor vehicle record reviews. The firm will also assist the city with negotiations and the final appointment process. ...read more read less