The headhunting firm hired to help search for Tallahassee’s next city manager has narrowed its recommendations to two out-of-state candidates and one of Tallahassee’s own.
A recently released status update from S. Renée Narloch & Associates shows three candidates for the city commission to consider at its next meeting:
City Manager Reese Goad announced his plan for retirement in April and is remaining at the city’s helm until Sept. 30 or until his successor is appointed, whichever comes first. The timing of the change has generated pushback, as commissioners and members of the community have debated whether a new manager should be appointed before or after the November election — a key one for City Hall.
While the city commission will likely need time to consider the candidates from Texas and New Mexico, commissioners are already familiar with the idea of Jumonville serving in Goad’s role.
Shortly after Goad’s announcement, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow posted on social media saying: “For the last six years I’ve raised warnings of the mismanagement and toxic culture created by Reese Goad after his appointment by a lame duck city commission in the height of the Maddox Corruption era. In the interim we are in very capable hands with DCM (Deputy City Manager) Karen Jumonville who will bring stability during a national search for the next City Manager.”
This update comes roughly a month and a half after the job posting went live. While city agenda materials do not provide any analysis of the candidates, commissioners are presented with the full applications of the top three candidates and a list that names 34 other candidates that applied.
Here’s what the resumes reveal about the three frontrunners:
Tallahassee Deputy City Manager Karen Jumonville
Jumonville has spent 27 years learning and familiarizing herself with the ins and outs of Florida’s capital city. She started as a land use and environmental services administrator and worked her way through the ranks until she was named a deputy city manager in March 2025.
Her resume touts numerous accomplishments during her tenure, including strengthening the utility system’s reliability and resiliency, overseeing a $270 million budget and reducing the timeframe for disaster reimbursement. Prior to her career with the city, Jumonville worked as a senior planner for Leon County and as a city planner for Quincy.
“The City of Tallahassee has earned recognitions for exceptional service, responsible governance, and forward-thinking leadership, and I would be honored to further advance this culture of excellence,” Jumonville wrote in her application’s cover letter. “My professional experience, education, institutional knowledge, collaborative leadership style, and long-standing commitment to public service have all prepared me to serve as your next city manager.”
Jumonville was endorsed early by Goad for the job as “fantastic” team member with “great credentials.” She was also widely viewed as a contender for the job in a city that often elevates internal candidates.
Former Doña Ana County Manager Scott Andrews
Andrews has worked for a local government for the last 24 years. He started as a recreation supervisor for Temple Terrace in 2003 and gradually earned higher positions in different cities and states.
For three years he was Covington’s city manager in Georgia, then moved on to become an assistant city manger at Bakersfield, California, for two years until he landed his most recent role as county manger of Doña Ana County in New Mexico.
His resume touts his management of a $789 million city budget, his role in securing the “largest economic development investment in New Mexico state history” with Oracle/OpenAI and his leadership of 2,000 employees.
“Florida shaped both my life and my career,” Andrews wrote in his application’s cover letter. “It is where I learned the value of public service and where my passion for local government first began. The opportunity to return home and serve the Capital City would represent both a professional honor and a deeply personal milestone for my family.”
The Doña Ana County Commission voted unanimously in July to terminate his employment agreement without cause less than two years after he was hired as county manager. A couple weeks before the vote, Andrews unexpectedly notified the Board of his intention to leave his post. Andrews was among several semifinalists in May for the city manager position in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Andrews left amid heightened public scrutiny of county leadership, including criticism tied to Project Jupiter, a data center campus approved in 2025 through a $165 billion industrial revenue bond package and related economic development incentives.
The newspaper reported that county residents had raised concerns about transparency surrounding the project.
The newspaper also noted that the county manager’s office was referenced in a sweeping 355 page audit presented to county commissioners earlier this year that identified 42 issues across county government that needed correcting.
The state auditor said “There is an urgent need for correction action. This action is immediate and non-negotiable. The county must strengthen internal controls, establish clear governance structures, standardize policies and procedures, improve financial oversight, and ensure consistent lawful administration across all departments.”
Forth Worth Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington
Similar to the other candidates, Washington has nearly 20 years of experience guiding a city. For five years, Washington served as Indianapolis’ deputy director and chief financial officer. Then in 2015, she assumed her current role as Forth Worth’s assistant city manager.
Her resume touts her ability to manage multi-billion-dollar budgets, spearhead neighborhood improvement programs and improve performance across multiple municipal functions.
“What excites me most about this opportunity is the chance to lead an organization that delivers such a broad range of municipal services while partnering with a City Commission committed to serving a vibrant and growing capital city,” Washington wrote in her application’s cover letter.
“I believe my collaborative leadership style, experience building trusted relationships with elected officials and community stakeholders, and record of developing high-performing teams would allow me to successfully advance Tallahassee’s strategic priorities while maintaining the highest standards of public service.”
What’s next
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Here are the candidates who could be Tallahassee’s next city manager
Reporting by Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
