The City of Novato is pleased to announce the hiring of William Rose as Assistant City Manager. In this role, Rose will oversee City-owned properties and leasing, homeless outreach, sustainability, information technology, and the Marin Valley Mobile Country Club. This position underfills the Deputy City Manager role, which has remained vacant since December 2023 and was previously held by current City Manager Amy Cunningham.
Rose brings over 20 years of experience across local government and the private sector. His background includes municipal planning, real estate development, land use policy and project redevelopment. He has successfully managed a wide range of projects – residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use – with a strong focus on public-private partnerships, regulatory compliance and long-range urban planning.
Beyond his technical expertise, Rose has a proven ability to foster consensus, streamline processes and strengthen communication between government agencies, the private sector and the public to develop community-centered solutions.
Most recently, Rose served as Vice President at Prologis, where he led land use permitting and regulatory compliance efforts, collaborating closely with local governments to align planning objectives with state land use policies and development regulations. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Planner in the cities of Novato, Santa Rosa, Palo Alto and Sausalito.
“We are grateful to have someone with Bill’s experience and knowledge join our leadership team,” said City Manager Amy Cunningham. “His impressive background in both the public and private sectors makes him uniquely suited for this role. I am confident he will make a lasting, positive impact on our community.”
Rose holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Sonoma State, a certificate in real estate finance from Harvard GSD Executive Education and is a licensed real estate broker. He’s also a graduate of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber’s Leadership Santa Rosa Program.
“I’m honored to return to Novato in this new capacity and excited to work alongside the dedicated City Council and staff,” said Rose. “Novato is a wonderful community, and I am eager to contribute to the important initiatives already underway. I look forward to helping shape the City’s future – both through long-term planning and day-to-day services.”
Rose will begin in his new role on May 12, 2025 and will earn an annual salary of $224,831.