Big Apple transplant, Mark McDaniel, with a hefty resume of 35 years in city management, has been tapped as the new deputy city manager for Fort Worth. City Manager David Cooke dropped the announcement last Friday, noting that McDaniel will kick off his new gig on Jan. 13.
"Mark brings an emphasis on finance, organizational development, performance improvement, planning, operations management, and economic development," said Cooke. Despite an impressive track record spanning seven communities, McDaniel's work in Fort Worth has brought him back to the fold. He's the brains behind the city's budget and research function overhaul. While on a consulting stint, he served as the interim chief transformation officer, also, putting together the Fort Worth Lab, as per the City of Fort Worth.
Before this appointment, McDaniel wielded the gavel as Kerrville’s city manager before joining Strategic Government Resources (SGR) as a senior vice president. There, he put his expertise to work conducting executive searches and consulting on special projects. Back in Fort Worth, he championed green by focusing on acquiring parks and enhancing the city's open spaces – efforts that earned him the title of greenspace champion.
McDaniel isn't new to the game in Dallas either. As assistant city manager, he swiftly climbed the ranks to become the first assistant city manager and launched the Dallas Center for Performance Excellence. His 10-year reign as Tyler's city manager saw him inject Lean Six Sigma methodologies into the city's veins, and his knack for strategic planning snagged the city some awards in employee training and career development initiatives.
His Texas-sized resume doesn't end there. He's been in the municipal management trenches as budget director and assistant city manager for Corpus Christi, city manager for Woodway, assistant city manager for Lake Jackson, and budget director for Denton. When he's not running cities, he's taking up roles such as vice president for the International City/County Management Association, president for the Texas City Management Association, and a board member for the Alliance for Innovation. Currently, he chairs the board for the University of North Texas Master of Public Administration advisory board. With a track record like McDaniel's, Fort Worth's city management looks set to get a seasoned revamp.
