Rosalynn Hughey, planning expert, and Lee Wilcox, public administration professional, appointed to Deputy City Manager positions

After a nationwide recruitment, San Jose City Manager David Sykes has promoted Rosalynn Hughey and Lee Wilcox to Deputy City Managers, filling key positions on his Leadership Team. Hughey will fill the role on April 5, and Wilcox will assume his position on February 22.

Rosalynn Hughey

“The challenges we face as a city have significantly changed over the past year, and I am confident that Rosalynn and Lee are uniquely equipped to help us fight COVID, recover economically, and heal as a community,” said Sykes.

“I am delighted that Rosalynn Hughey and Lee Wilcox are taking on these roles in the City Manager’s office. Both have demonstrated exemplary dedication to public service through their creative, thoughtful leadership and strong work ethic – and San José will continue to benefit from their extensive experience,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo.

With a career in urban planning that spans over 30 years, Rosalynn Hughey understands the intersectionality of land use, housing, transportation, economic development, placemaking, and sustainability. She has worked for the City of San José for six years. After serving in an acting role, Hughey became the Director of the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department (PBCE). She previously held the position of Assistant Director of PBCE for approximately three years. As Director of PBCE, Hughey has provided leadership for the City’s broad range of planning and development services, including stewardship of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan. Before joining the City of San José, Hughey served as Deputy Director in the Washington, D.C. Office of Planning where she led neighborhood and transit-oriented development plans and large-scale planning and redevelopment projects. She also held the positions of Associate Director for Neighborhood Planning and Neighborhood Planning Coordinator at this same agency.

“City building is complicated work. We are managing change on many levels throughout our neighborhoods. The last six years have been rewarding – to work with individual residents, community groups, business leaders, and other partners to realize the City’s more urban future,” said Hughey. “I am now thrilled with this new opportunity, particularly in our COVID-19 recovery efforts to facilitate community and economic development and most importantly help improve outcomes for all of our residents.”

Lee Wilcox

Lee Wilcox, a collaborative leader with over 15 years with the City of San José, is talented in bringing stakeholders together to solve complicated issues. For the past three years, he has served as the Director of the City Manager’s Office of Administration, Policy, and Intergovernmental Relations as well as the City Manager’s Chief of Staff. For the past year, he has simultaneously served as Co-Director of the City’s Emergency Operations Center. Prior to these roles, Wilcox spent almost three years as the Budget Director for the Mayor’s Office, over six years as an Assistant to the City Manager or Senior Executive Analyst in the City Manager’s Office of Economic Development working on downtown issues, and over three years as the Chief of Staff for the Office of former Councilmember Nancy Pyle. Wilcox also spent almost three years in Sacramento serving as a Legislative Aide.

“Today, cities face enormous challenges but hold great opportunity for improving people’s lives. I am honored and excited to serve our City and its residents, and continue to create equitable solutions for our community,” said Wilcox.

The Deputy City Manager position plays an important role in the leadership of the City. Hughey and Wilcox will serve as key advisors to the City Manager, supporting him in driving priorities. They will be responsible for assisting the City Manager through the coordination and engagement of a portfolio of departments to carry out City Council policy direction and ensure service delivery goals. Hughey’s portfolio will include the community and economic development city service area which consists of the PBCE and Housing departments as well as the Office of Economic Development. Wilcox’s portfolio includes the environmental and utility services and transportation and aviation city service areas, which include the Community Energy, Environmental Services, Airport, and Transportation departments.

Hughey lives in the Evergreen area of San José, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Maryland. She is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley and a member of the American Planning Association’s Big City Planning Directors Institute. Hughey is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute, serving on the Executive Board of the San Francisco District Council and as Co-chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Born and raised in San José, Wilcox holds a Master of Public Administration in public policy and administration in local government from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Sonoma State University. He also holds a certificate in local government management and leadership from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.