San Luis Obispo Interim City Manager Whitney McDonald has been promoted to the permanent position. She’ll take over as city manager in August.
McDonald has served as interim manager since Derek Johnson left for the Marin County CEO job in April. She was previously assistant manager, and city manager for Arroyo Grande before that.
“I am truly honored to serve in this role as San Luis Obispo’s city manager and look forward to deepening partnerships with community members, businesses, and regional partners,” McDonald said in a statement. “We have a lot to do together, and I am eager to continue working with the community, the city council and city staff to accomplish our strategic goals.”
“She brings an impressive breadth of experience serving public sector agencies for the past 17 years and has a depth of knowledge in housing, land use, development, and environmental issues. Her local expertise and action-oriented, problem-solving style will help us address the most important challenges facing our City as well as implement our ambitious Major City Goals,” said San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica A. Stewart.
McDonald earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles.
In her new role, McDonald will oversee a $225-million budget and 480 employees.