City Manager Rick Cole has selected Susan Cline to serve as the new Director of Santa Monica’s Public Works Department. Cline has served as Assistant Director for over six years, and brings nearly 20 years of leadership experience in public sector planning, operations, and management. She has served as interim Director of Public Works on two previous occasions.
“The responsibility of running the team that provides the backbone public services our community relies on 24/7 is a special and demanding one,” said Rick Cole, City Manager. “As a proven leader, Susan has demonstrated her ability to empower our workforce, pursue innovation, and promote environmental sustainability. I am pleased she will lead Public Works in serving our unique community.”
As the Assistant Director of Public Works, Cline managed a $125 million operating budget and oversaw nine divisions with a combined workforce of more than 500 staff members. Before coming to the City of Santa Monica in 2010, Cline was the Senior Development Team Manager for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). During her time with LAUSD, she led all preconstruction activities for new school building projects and managed a portfolio of $716 million for Pre-K through Adult Education projects.
“I am truly honored to be promoted to serve the City of Santa Monica as Public Works Director,” said Susan Cline. “Having worked alongside the exemplary employees in Public Works for more than six years, I have firsthand knowledge of how fortunate the City is to have such a dedicated work force, and I am proud to continue to support their work as they serve the community by keeping the City clean and beautiful, building and maintaining critical infrastructure, as well as setting the standard for a sustainable City.”
Cline has a Master of Planning from USC and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from UC Irvine. She is a member of the American Public Works Association and was a former executive board member and founding organizer of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust. She also served five years on the Los Angeles District Council Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute.
Cline will assume her duties on July 11, 2016 with a salary of $261,240. The Department of Public Works provides essential services to the community that include water resources, architecture services, civil engineering, resource recovery and recycling, cemetery, pier management, street maintenance, fleet services, facilities management, and custodial services.
