City of Laredo announces city manager finalists

KGNS+
By KGNS Staff
Published: Jan. 18, 2023 at 5:56 PM GMT-7

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - The City of Laredo has revealed the names of the candidates who could potentially become Laredo’s next City manager.

According to a press release, the finalists selected by the Laredo City Council during Tuesday’s council meeting include Rick Davis, Joseph Neeb, and Jane Shang.

The decision to advance these finalists was made by council after an executive session behind closed doors.

The next step in the process includes public interviews which will be conducted at the Joe Guerra Library.

The public will be invited to meet and chat with the three candidates.

Below is a bio of all three candidates:

Rick Davis has served as City Manager of Baytown, Texas from 2015 through January 2023. Prior to this, he spent more than 25 years in city management including service as City Manager of West Jordan, Utah from 2011-2015, Town Manager of Fountain Hills, Arizona from 2008 to 2011, and City Manager of West Point, Utah from 2000 to 2008. Rick holds a bachelor’s degree in Government/Corporate Relations from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young, as well. Since 2005, he has held the distinction as a Credential Manager from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Joseph Neeb began his public service career 25 years ago as Town Manager in Morristown, Indiana from 1997 to 2000. Other town and city manager roles include Fortville, Indiana from 2000 to 2004, Dyer, Indiana from 2004 to 2010, as well as Spearfish, South Dakota from 2010 to 2017. His most recent position included serving as City Manager of Roswell, New Mexico from 2017 to February 2023. Joseph earned his degrees from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana – a bachelor’s in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Business Administration. He has been an ICMA Credentialed Manager since 2007 and has held numerous leadership roles in state-based city management professional associations in Indiana, South Dakota, and New Mexico over the years. He is also a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) by the International Economic Development Council.

Jane Shang most recently served as City Manager of Deltona, Florida from 2015 to 2020, and prior to this was the Deputy City Manager of El Paso, Texas from 2008 to 2015. Earlier in her 35-year career, she held multiple leadership roles in multi-modal transit systems including Director of Engineering and Development with the Hillsborough Area Transit Authority (HART) in Tampa, Florida from 2004 to 2008, and as Boston Logan Airport Manager from 1996 to 2004. Previous posts include serving as Assistant Director for the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) from 1990 to 1996, as Senior Real Estate and Contracts Attorney for the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority from 1987 to 1990, and as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston from 1986 to 1987. Jane earned her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Behavior/Business from Brown University and a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk Law School.