Interim Assistant City Administrators: LaTonda Simmons and Jason Mitchell

Jason Mitchell

LaTonda Simmons

Congratulations to current Oakland City Clerk LaTonda Simmons, who’s professionalism and leadership is unmatched!

Oakland, CA — Today Oakland City Administrator Ed Reiskin announced the appointment of two Interim Assistant City Administrators: Ms. LaTonda Simmons and Mr. Jason Mitchell, effective Monday, June 1.
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“I’m delighted to appoint LaTonda and Jason to these critical leadership roles,” said City Administrator Ed Reiskin. “Both LaTonda and Jason were born and raised in Oakland, and each of them has been integral to the leadership of this city for many years. They bring a complementary blend of operational expertise, deep institutional knowledge, community connections, and management experience. Their appointments are a testament to locally developed talent and the spirit of service to Oakland. I welcome them both to my executive leadership team as, together with the City’s department directors, we lead this City forward.”

​LaTonda Simmons

LaTonda Simmons joins the City Administrator’s Office with over 27 years of public sector experience focused on management, organizational development, compliance, fiscal services oversight, program and project management, and network/systems administration, having supported federal affordable housing, municipal, and legislative services activities.

“LaTonda is a leader who is driven by the passion to make government accessible, solve problems, create operational efficiencies, and serve the organization with candor, precision, and humor,” said Reiskin.
Best known to the organization as the City Clerk, LaTonda has directed the operations for the Office of the City Clerk supporting 7 iterations of City Council, 7 Council Presidents, 14 City Administrators, and 4 Mayors. She is recognized as a member of the City Clerks Association of California, and has been designated as a Certified Municipal Clerk by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in recognition of her expertise in municipal management and performance of the complex duties in the City Clerk profession.

Her prior experience includes serving as operations manager for federally funded Neighborhood Reinvestment’s Pacific District with a mission of community revitalization through support and regulation of organizational compliance for 25 affordable housing organizations covering the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. While within the organization, she managed programmatic and fiscal compliance data, administered NOFA activity for over $60 million in grant funds, and managed District resources for Oakland, LA, and Hawaii Pacific District offices.
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“As an Oakland native, this moment isn’t lost on me. It is precious and crucial as we chart and navigate the growth as well as the potential of this amazing city. I am truly humbled, honored and excited to join the executive team, working in great partnership with amazing staff and ready to do this critical work,” said Simmons.

Jason Mitchell

Jason Mitchell brings more than 18 years of progressive local government experience in the areas of operations, strategic planning, project management, resource management, administration, and fiscal leadership. An eleven-year City of Oakland veteran, Mitchell has most recently served as its Director of Public Works, leading the department through its first strategic plan, enhancing asset management analysis and decision making, and implementing process improvement projects and best practices throughout the department. 
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“Oakland’s Department of Public Works serves both the public and every other department in the City,” Reiskin said. “Jason knows every facet of this work, and is ready to bring his expertise to bear across the entire City organization.” 
Mitchell was previously the Assistant Director and Agency Administrator of the Public Works Department. His prior work includes serving as the Administrative Services Manager for the City of Oakland’s Parks and Recreation Department and as the Chief Financial Officer for the City and County of San Francisco’s Head Start program. 

He is in the final stages of obtaining his doctoral degree in Organizational Development and Leadership at the University of San Francisco. He also holds a Master’s in Business Administration from USF’s School of Management and a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Finance from California State University, East Bay. He holds several certifications and licenses and is affiliated with organizations, including the American Public Works Association and the California Water Environment Association. 

“I am thrilled and honored to serve the people of my hometown,” Mitchell said. “The City of Oakland, like many municipalities, has faced many challenges, and our goal is to assist with providing the people of Oakland with the solutions to problems. The hard-working people of this city humble and inspire me every single day as they head out into every Oakland neighborhood to help make it a better place to live and work for everyone.” 

This post based on a press release from The City of Oakland to Zennie62Media.
https://oaklandnewsnow.com/oakland-city-administrator-hires-latonda-simmons-and-jason-mitchell-interim-assistant-city-administrators/oakland-news/49085