City Manager Receives International Career Excellence Award

City Manager Sheryl Sculley has been selected by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to receive the Award for Career Excellence given annually in Honor of Mark E. Keane. The Association's Award for Career Excellence recognizes an outstanding chief local government administrator who has "fostered representative democracy by enhancing the effectiveness of local elected officials and by consistently initiating creative and successful programs."

Sculley was appointed City Manager of San Antonio four years ago in 2005. Prior to that, she served the City of Phoenix as Assistant City Manager for 16 years. She also worked in Kalamazoo, Michigan for 15 years, the last five as City Manager. Sculley has dedicated her career to city management and has served as the first female in each position during her tenures in Michigan and Arizona.

"I am humbled and honored to receive this award from my peers in ICMA, as it represents my 35 years of commitment to public services and professional City Management," said City Manager Sheryl Sculley. "In my roles in municipal government in three different states, I have focused on results, teamwork, integrity and helping to make each city a better place in which to live."

Since becoming San Antonio City Manager in November 2005, Sculley has worked with City staff to improve city services for San Antonio residents. Her leadership has led to more efficient - and business-friendly -- organizational structure, a healthy financial reserve, progressive quality-of-life projects and has fostered consensus-building among local elected officials. With an annual operating and capital budget of more than $2 billion, City Manager Sculley oversees 12,000 City employees serving San Antonio's 1.3 million residents.

"The City of San Antonio is fortunate to have a City Manager of Sheryl's caliber," said San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. "This award from her peers is a reflection of her top-notch professionalism and commitment to excellence that we see everyday at City Hall."

Building community consensus and streamlining coordination among stakeholders has marked several of the City Manager's successes. Among the most far-reaching are the $216 million River Improvement Projects that extends and enhances the historic River Walk's reach from 3 miles and extending an additional 13 miles. Spanning several years of planning and implementation while crossing numerous governmental and civic interests, this investment preserves San Antonio's historic and natural heritage while encouraging a legacy of smart economic development.

In 2007, Sculley recommended the City of San Antonio's largest bond program. This proposal included a comprehensive public participation component in evaluating the proposed projects. In May of that year, voters overwhelmingly approved the referendum. With more than $550 million in improvements to infrastructure, libraries and new facilities for parks, health and athletics, the 151 projects of the "2007-2012 Bond Program" are on schedule and on budget.

Supplementing the bond program's reach and to address the demands of one of the nation's fastest-growing cities, City Manager Sculley implemented an innovative five-year rolling infrastructure management program to monitor and maintain streets, drainage, sidewalks, alleys and traffic signals. This proactive approach creates an efficient way to track and maintain the labyrinth of infrastructure needs of the nation's seventh largest city.

Three years ago, the City Manager developed a goal to increase the City's financial reserves from 3% in 2006 to 9% in 2008. This resulted, in part, to the City's 'AAA' general obligation bond rating received from Standard & Poor's in the fall of 2008. One of only two US cities with a population of one million or more to achieve the 'AAA' rating, this marks the first time San Antonio achieved the rating and is a reflection of strong fiscal management led by Sculley in a diverse local economy.

During City Manager Sculley's administration in San Antonio, she has made it a top priority to retain, attract and develop talented City staff members through performance measurement, moving salaries to market levels, creating management development programs and offering employee wellness programs. An avid runner herself, Sculley helped recruit and organize the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 2008, the largest inaugural marathon event in the nation with 30,000 participants and an estimated economic impact in San Antonio of approximately $41.5 million.

Sculley's professional management efforts, and numerous others, have been recognized with honors from the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame, San Antonio Downtowner of the Year Award, Roger A. Flores, Sr. Beacon of Leadership Award, the Arizona Woman of the Year by Arizona Woman Magazine, Phoenix YWCA Tribute to Women Award, Outstanding Regional Contribution Awards from Arizona Economic Development Organizations and Woman of the Year Award presented by the Kalamazoo, Michigan Chapter of the National Organization for Women.

Over her 35 year career, Sculley has shared her knowledge and commitment to the City management profession by serving as a member of the Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA) Board of Directors, including President-Elect; a member of the Board of Directors and President of the Arizona City/County Management Association; and as a member of the Board of Directors in the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), including serving as a task force member on community tools for ending racism. City Manager Sculley's contribution to the local government profession culminated with the City of San Antonio successfully hosting the ICMA Annual Conference in 2006, one of the largest attended events in ICMA history.

Throughout the course of Sculley's career, she has served as a mentor to fellow municipal professionals while also promoting and advocating for the city management profession. She has secured the support and assistance of elected officials and community alike through shared common values that include quality-of-life improvements, fiscal responsibility, and strengthened economic positioning.