Evanston officials recently announced the promotion of Kimberly Richardson from assistant to the city manager to now deputy city manager, according to a city news release.
Richardson’s new role will have her manage operations in the city manager’s office — including City Council communications — volunteer and community ambassador programs, and administrative adjudication services, along with other city initiatives, according to the release.
“With the promotion of the former deputy city manager to assistant city manager in January, the city has been without a key senior city staff member to support a variety of important initiatives,” City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said in the release. “Kimberly Richardson brings many years of local government management experience to the role of deputy city manager.”
Richardson had served in her previous role since February 2016, after coming to Evanston from south suburban Flossmoor where she was the assistant to the village manager for nine years, the release states.
Additionally, she will oversee the Evanston’s sustainability, cultural arts and equity and empowerment initiatives and support the city manager and assistant city manager in running the daily operations, and focus on areas including Northwestern University relations, according to the release. Richardson will also continue her work supporting various police and community relations programs.
“I am especially excited that she will lend her expertise to work with our superb staff in such key areas as equity and empowerment, cultural arts and sustainability to continue and enhance these ‘best in class’ programs,” Bobkiewicz said.
Richardson is currently enrolled in the International City/County Management Association’s Mid-Career Managers Institute and is president-elect for the Legacy Project, an organization that focuses on the advancement of women in public leadership in local and state government, according to the release.
She is the immediate past president of the Illinois Association of Municipal Management Assistants and previously served as a board member of the Illinois City/County Management Association and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Chicago Chapter.
She is an alumna of Northern Illinois University, where she received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration.