City Manager Miguel Márquez has announced the promotions of Deputy Director of Planning & Community Development Jennifer Paige and Human Resources Manager Tiffany Jacobs-Quinn to director of their respective departments. Márquez also announced the promotion of Human Resources Manager Alex Souto to deputy city manager. All three will assume their new roles on Monday, March 13.
“Jennifer, Tiffany and Alex have over 40 years of combined experience with the City of Pasadena,” said Márquez. “Their wealth of knowledge, familiarity with the City, and vision will help us continue to foster an exceptional employee experience, guide equitable policies and programs, and, ultimately, improve the lives of all Pasadenans. I’m excited to welcome them to the City’s executive leadership team.”
Paige has been serving as the acting director of the Planning & Community Development Department since last summer. She first joined the department in 2000 as an associate planner and held various roles in increasing responsibility before being promoted to deputy director in 2016, where she oversaw special projects and the work of the Planning Division. Prior to joining Pasadena, Paige worked for the Cities of Claremont, Lake Forest and Burbank. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from Cal State Northridge, a bachelor’s degree in urban & regional planning from Cal Poly Pomona, and an American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification.
Both Jacobs-Quinn and Souto have taken turns serving as acting human resources director since the spring of last year.
Jacobs-Quinn has been with the City since 2009. She began her tenure as a management analyst in employee relations. In 2014, she was promoted to human resources manager, where she oversaw a team responsible for employee recruitment, selection and training; performance evaluation; classification and compensation; and rideshare program coordination. Before joining the City of Pasadena, Jacobs-Quinn worked as a labor relations representative for independent municipal employee associations in Southern California. She earned master’s degrees in linguistics and public administration from Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Northridge, respectively. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in romance languages & literatures from Pomona College.
As the newly appointed deputy city manager, Souto will be responsible for overseeing the City’s enterprise risk management program and promoting a culture of risk mitigation. He will also manage the Liability and Insurance Claims, Occupational Health & Safety, and Workers’ Compensation Divisions, which will be integrated into the new Risk Management Division of the City Manager’s Office. Souto will also be responsible for managing Citywide ADA accessibility, and employee engagement and wellness programs.
Souto joined the City of Pasadena in 2015 as a principal human resources analyst. He was promoted to human resources manager in 2016, where he was responsible for developing Citywide personnel policies, leading labor relations activities with employee bargaining units, directing employee relations activities, and managing the Citywide occupational health and safety program. Souto holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Cal State LA and a master’s degree in public administration from Cal State Northridge. He also has a master’s certification in labor relations from the California Public Employers Labor Relations Association.