The City Council announced the appointment of Ms. Deanna J. Santana to serve as interim city manager. Santana will focus on stabilizing the organization and setting the groundwork for a multi-year fiscal strategy. With a growing structural budget deficit projected in the coming years, her expertise in budget planning and fiscal reform will be instrumental in helping the City Council make proactive decisions that best preserve community core services and employees’ capacity to deliver them.
“Deanna’s proven track record and wealth of experience in municipal management make her an ideal candidate to lead our City during this interim period. She brings not only an impressive depth of municipal experience but also ethical leadership and strong fiscal management. We are confident she will help guide our organization forward with purpose and professionalism.” stated Mayor Carmen Montano. “Deanna is known for bringing a solutions-oriented approach to delivering high-quality services. She is also known for bringing transparency and collaboration to the workplace, demonstrating a strong commitment to public service, and working with communities on important issues impacting quality of life.”
Santana’s deep public service experience includes working nationally, regionally and locally and her experience spans a diverse spectrum of disciplines such as: investment and financial services; management, service delivery and operations; research; philanthropy; and working within the complex Silicon Valley ecosystem to balance community needs with business sustainability. Most recently, Santana served as Acting Chief Executive Officer for MissionSquare Retirement, a financial services corporation focused on public sector retirement services, from April 2023 through September 2024, and as Senior Advisor to the CEO through February 2025. As Acting CEO, Santana was responsible for approximately $84 billion of assets under management and administration, 1.9 million participant accounts nationwide and 9,300 employer plans across the country. During this time, Santana also led MissionSquare Research Institute, a non-profit organization producing research on public sector workforce trends, and MissionSquare Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on youth civic engagement.
“I’m honored to join the City of Milpitas as Interim City Manager during this important time,” said Santana. “I look forward to working closely with the City Council, City team, community and stakeholders to support the City Council’s goals and objectives, provide stability for the organization and ensure Milpitas is well positioned financially for the future with transparency and care.”
With 30 years of experience in public service, and recognized for her integrity, collaborative leadership style and deep understanding of service delivery and operations, Santana has successfully led both large and mid-sized cities across the Bay Area, including serving as City Manager for the cities of Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, City Administrator for the City of Oakland and Deputy City Manager for the City of San Jose. She is the only public service executive that has held high-ranking executive-level leadership roles in the Silicon Valley cities that comprise the Nation’s Largest Tech Hub (San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara), as ranked by Forbes. Santana has a Master of Arts in City Planning from MIT, two Bachelor of Art degrees from U.C. Berkeley and a Corporate Director Certificate from Harvard School of Business Executive Education Program.
As background, a City Council Sub-Committee worked with WBCP Inc., a consultant and executive search firm, to administer this recruitment process and narrow down the candidate pool. After an extensive and competitive interview process, along with standard backgrounding, Santana was appointed by the City Council. Her first day on the job will be April 17, 2025. Over the next months, the City Council will initiate the permanent City Manager recruitment process.
About the City of Milpitas
Located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, Milpitas is a progressive community that is an integral part of Silicon Valley. A full-service city with water utility, sewer utility, police and fire services, Milpitas is a flourishing community with a very diverse and inclusive resident population of over 80,000. Often referred to as the Crossroads of Silicon Valley, the City is situated between major thoroughfares in the Bay Area and considered a highly desirable location for world-class technology companies seeking to build a central base of operations. With the addition of the new Milpitas Transit Center offering BART, light rail and bus service, and multiple new mixed-use development projects, along with a host of new City Plans and Programs in support of an inspiring and sustainable future, the City is at the forefront of building the next generation economy. For more information, visit: www.milpitas.gov