Her first day with the City will be Monday, August 1.

“We are happy to announce we have found the best candidate for city manager and that person is Vanessa Shrauner,” said Mayor Tim Jayroe. “She is currently in Jarrell, TX. She was the favorite candidate of staff and council, and we are excited that she is coming to work with us.”

Interim City Manager Richard Morton Jr. will stay on board until July 29.

“I will be working with Vanessa in July as she prepares for her new job,” said Morton.

Shrauner said, “I am honored and excited to have been chosen as your city manager. My family and I have loved every city we have lived in, and this one may be the easiest to embrace.

“I intend to work diligently to serve the residents of Rockport. We  will build upon the current successes and tackle challenges head on to make this the best community for everyone.”

Shrauner has served as Jarrell’s city administrator since June 2019. For seven years (2012-19) she was the development services manager for the City of Odessa. From 2006 to 2009 Shrauner was assistant city administrator for the City of Sunset Valley. She was the management analyst for the City of Round Rock between 1999 and 2006.

She has a Master of Public Administration from Southwest Texas State and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas A&M University.

About the process

Morton said there were 59 applicants for the job. An initial review for viable candidates narrowed that number to 29.

That list was narrowed further, down to six, after additional review.

One of the six finalists dropped out of the running, and the list was narrowed to three finalists.

The finalists were Shrauner, Richard B. Beverlin III (current city manager for the City of Leander), and John F. Benson, MPA (current city manager for the City of Beeville).