Career
Ms. Gonzalez was promoted to Assistant City Manager in November 2003 after serving three years as Assistant to the City Manager. In addition, Ms. Gonzalez has oversight of those City departments most directly involved with Human Development efforts. Ms. Gonzalez is responsible for management oversight of the Library system, Metropolitan Health District, the Department of Community Initiatives, International Affairs and Human Resources.

As Assistant to the City Manager, she coordinated the City’s Better Jobs efforts, which are designed to link education, economic development and workforce development programs and initiatives. Ms. Gonzalez also has served as director of the City’s nationally recognized Neighborhood Action Department. Neighborhood Action is responsible for mobilizing City departments in a coordinated effort to clean up and improve selected neighborhoods through a variety of initiatives. Neighborhood Action facilitated the Community Revitalization Action Group (CRAG) process and will coordinate future CRAG efforts.

Prior to serving as director of Neighborhood Action, Ms. Gonzalez was responsible for staffing and coordinating the activities of the Housing and Neighborhood Action Team, which was developed to facilitate and expand existing housing policies and programs. Before becoming special projects manager, she managed the Organizational Review Office, which conducted comprehensive organizational studies of all City departments with the objective of improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness and finding new and better ways of delivering public services.

Ms. Gonzalez also has served in the positions of Special Projects Officer with the Office of Dome Development and as a Planner in the Department of Economic and Employment Development.

Education
B.A. Political Science, Pan American University
M.A. Urban Studies, Trinity University, National Hispanic Field Service Fellow
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government

Professional Memberships
International City Management Association (ICMA) Hispanic Network; Urban Management Assistants of South Texas, past president

Honors
Under her leadership, Neighborhood Action received the 1999 Award for Program Excellence Innovations in Local Government from ICMA and was named a semi-finalist for 1999 Innovations in American Government Award from the Ford Foundation and Kennedy School of Government; Outstanding Young Women of America; San Antonio Star

Personal
Ms. Gonzalez was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley in Mercedes, Texas. She and her husband, Roel, have one son, Matthew Israel.