EXPERIENCE
Kathy Dodson
Kathy Dodson is a game-changer who offers calm in the storm of transition and change in government agencies. With more than 20 years of executive experience in both the government and private sectors, she provides government leaders with strategy and solutions to solve problems, transition leadership, tackle community issues and get things done. Having recently served in top leadership positions for local city governments, Kathy sees the need for leadership support while using best practices to move projects forward and lead change. She understands the value of knowing the perfect person to call to help problem-solve, and is a trusted adviser and confidant. Kathy’s in-depth knowledge about organizational performance and economic development, her leadership experience, and her love for academia and research on current topics in government, create a unique package to meet the specific needs of local government leaders.
"I believe that successful city managers help cities thrive and create better places for all of us.
At City Hall Solutions, we help managers succeed." Kathy Dodson
Kathy Dodson, MBA, PhD
Founder and Principal
Kathy served as interim and assistant city manager at the City of Carlsbad in California. She was initially hired as economic development manager before being promoted to director of community and economic development. Prior to that she served as director of planning and economic development at the City of El Paso, Texas. She has written extensively on public management and been published in journals such as PM Magazine. Kathy served as president and chief executive officer of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. She was also involved in commercial real estate as senior vice president of Best Real Estate and as marketing director for Santa Teresa Real Estate Development Corporation. She began her career working in economic development and international trade for the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. She has a long history of public service, including serving on community college boards in Texas and California, and serving as President of the James and Charlotte Brooks Foundation and the Mission Trail Association.
CASE STUDIES
OPERATIONS
INNOVATION
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
OPERATIONS
General Plan Update – Phase I, Operations
The City of Carlsbad spent years updating its general plan. As community and economic development director and then assistant city manager, Dr. Dodson brought this project to the finish line.
•Assessment – Project was behind schedule due to scope changes and the relationship with the primary contractor.
•Strategy – Focus on contract oversight and limit scope changes unless fully understood and agreed to by city leadership.
•Tactics - Worked with staff to reinvigorate contract oversight and to communicate the effect of scope changes on the project timeline to city leadership.
•Results – General plan document was ready for approval in less than 12 months.
General Plan Update – Phase 2, Policy
•Assessment – New state regulations and a high level of public interest required enhanced communications.
•Strategy – Hold special meetings and briefings to ensure that the plan was understood by the public, planning commission and city council.
•Tactics - Worked with staff and elected officials to hold an innovative joint city council and planning commission meeting so that both bodies, and the public, heard the same information and started from a level playing field. Held special briefings to explain state mandated changes to the general plan, including the transportation element and the climate action plan.
•Results – The general plan was passed by the planning commission and city council in 2015.
Capital Projects Backlog
While interim and assistant city manager in Carlsbad, Dr. Dodson addressed a longstanding backlog of capital improvement projects.
•Assessment – The city consistently carried a backlog of projects worth millions of dollars. Each year the city finished roughly the same number of projects as it added, never significantly decreasing the overall number of projects.
•Strategy – Determine how to properly resource projects and track projects in a highly visible manner.
•Tactics – Worked with staff to evaluate the human resources needed to address backlog, including hiring staff and outsourcing project management. Successfully asked city council for additional engineering positions as part of the city budget. Created a “Greenlight” report that effectively identified which projects were on schedule and which were behind and why. This report was used as a communication tool to city leadership and served as an incentive to keep projects on track.
•Results – The city began making progress on the project backlog.
INNOVATION
Life Sciences Incubator
As Economic Development Manager for Carlsbad, Dr. Dodson was asked to attract an incubator to an unused city facility.
•Assessment – The facility and the local and regional business communities were analyzed to determine the type of incubator that would be most successful in the city.
•Strategy – Develop an RFP (request for proposals) for an incubator based on local business needs, highly publicize the RFP and build a network within target industry clusters to help the project succeed.
•Tactics – The RFP was developed and issued and industry relationships were developed and maintained.
•Results – Bio, Tech and Beyond opened a life sciences incubator at the city facility, is currently at capacity and has helped local life sciences entrepreneurs develop successful Carlsbad companies.
Technology Education
While interim and assistant city manager in Carlsbad, the city council asked for information on current and future trends that would lead to more aspirational city goals.
•Assessment – City leadership wanted to understand leading edge technologies that could affect Carlsbad’s future.
•Strategy – Create a series of panels on changing technologies in fields affecting California cities.
•Tactics – Worked with staff, industry and government organizations to develop panels on “Autonomous and Connected Vehicles,” the “Future of Energy,” “Big Data,” and “Sea Level Rise” in the first year of the program.
•Results – Not only city council, but city staff, residents and neighboring city officials received information on the latest technologies that might affect future city operations and provide new and creative ways of solving problems.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Develop a Job Creation Program
While planning and economic development director in El Paso, Dr. Dodson was tasked with developing an economic development program that would create jobs in the city.
•Assessment – An evaluation of current industries was conducted and paired with academic data suggesting that 80% of job growth in a community comes through the growth of existing businesses. Finding ways to help these businesses grow would create jobs in the community.
•Strategy – Analyzed the business community and found that the greatest areas of growth were improving access of local suppliers to businesses in Juarez, Mexico; helping local businesses find money for training; decreasing the barriers to growth at city hall and developing an incentive program for businesses.
•Tactics – Worked with staff and website developer to create a supplier database that improved supplier access to Mexican manufacturers. With the local workforce board, successfully applied for a grant to help local businesses train employees. Worked with city leadership to create an ombudsman position within the city to help businesses expand. Worked with city staff and the local economic development organization to develop an incentive program tied to qualified jobs, investment and salaries.
•Results – Completed supplier database, helped region receive $250,000 workforce training grant, streamlined city processes while improving customer service and attracted businesses through incentive programs.
Breaking Down Barriers to Business Growth
As economic development manager in Carlsbad, Dr. Dodson was asked to develop an effective economic development program.
•Assessment – Performed economic development analysis and met with Carlsbad business leaders, thereby determining that the primary barrier to growth for target industries was the ability to attract a talented workforce to Carlsbad.
•Strategy – Make Carlsbad known and attractive to talent that would enable Carlsbad’s businesses to grow.
•Tactics – Worked with staff and outside consultants to package Carlsbad’s assets, such as a strong corporate base in technology and life sciences and an extremely high quality of life, into a brand that reflected the community, was attractive to the employees the companies needed, and could be deployed in a variety of ways to reach target audiences.
•Results – the Carlsbad, Life in Action, brand is being used not only by the city, but by businesses to attract knowledge workers to Carlsbad.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Financial Turn-Around
As the new president/CEO of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Dodson was faced with an organization in financial turmoil.
•Assessment – Through forensic accounting and meetings with the board and staff, it was determined that the chamber had lost $80,000 during the prior year, and was on a course towards insolvency.
•Strategy – The chamber needed to decrease spending, increase memberships and develop new events that would drive revenue growth.
•Tactics – Thoughtful spending cuts were enacted and programs were put in place to make the chamber more relevant to local businesses. A new event, the Taste of Santa Monica was started resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in new annual revenue.
•Results – The chamber went from an annual $80,000 loss to a $40,000 profit in two years. Membership increased by 25%.
Enhance Performance of Foundation Mission
As president of the James and Charlotte Brooks Foundation, Dr. Dodson was tasked with carrying out the mission of an art-based nonprofit.
•Assessment – The majority of the foundation assets were paintings by American midcentury artists James Brooks and Charlotte Park Brooks, and the cash assets were not enough to fully carry out the mission of the organization of art related education.
•Strategy – Find a partner organization that specialized in art education and promotion.
•Tactics – Worked with the board of directors of the foundation and a New York museum to form a partnership that would transfer the assets of the foundation to the museum and task the museum with carrying out the mission of the foundation, furthering both organizations goals.
•Results – The James and Charlotte Brooks Foundation is partnering with the Parrish Museum to both enhance the museum and carry out the legacy of the artists and their foundation.