Figure 1 - New City Manager Shasa Curl and Mayor Tom Butt sign three-year contract for City Manager

On April 5, 2022, the Richmond City Council voted unanimously to hire veteran City of Richmond administrator Shasa Curl as its city manager. Curl had served as interim city manager since November 2021, succeeding Laura Snideman, who was asked to step down by the City Council.

She has held various leadership roles in the Richmond City Manager’s Office, including deputy city manager, economic development, community & economic development director, and administrative chief. In addition, Ms. Curl serves as a member of the Richmond Promise Board, and previously served on the Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Expression (NIAD) Board. Curl began her career in the City of Richmond in 2003, where she served in the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency. Prior to Richmond, she worked at the San Jose Redevelopment Agency.

She has extensive experience in public administration, environmental and health equity, as well as community and economic development. With support and policy guidance from the Richmond City Council, Ms. Curl’s career achievements include leading the successful transition of the Richmond Housing Authority’s (RHA) Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program to the Housing Authority of Contra Costa County; working collaboratively with Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) to launch the Richmond/San Francisco Ferry Service; leading the successful launch of the Richmond Rent Program; launching the $35 million Richmond Promise Scholarship and College Success Program; and managing the Richmond Civic Center Renovation project.

Curl earned a Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles as a Graduate Division Fellow, and received her Bachelors of Arts in Politics/Legal Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.