New KC Department Directors Will Lead Improvements In Basic Services, Equity In The Workplace

From the City of Kansas City:

January 19, 2021

City Manager Brian Platt has announced new directors for several city departments. These women and men will provide strong leadership as we improve city services such as snowplowing, trash collection and street maintenance. A shift in responsibilities for two departments will include a new initiative to invest in additional staffing and resources to build a more inclusive and supportive culture and reduce systemic racism within city operations.

“Our current focus is empowering our many great leaders and supporting them to be the best they can be,” Platt said. “I am excited to be working alongside these new department directors as we work together to improve delivery of city services.”

Public Works Department:

Michael Shaw has been appointed Public Works Director, earning a promotion after managing Solid Waste Services and its successful move to bring all trash collection in-house with city crews rather than contractors. His work increased resident satisfaction with trash collection by 9% overall and 20% in the Northland over the past year.

The Manager has directed Shaw to initiate discussions with our labor partners to shift Solid Waste Services from the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department to the Public Works Department, in order to streamline snow removal efforts and the cleanliness of city streets. Additional changes to improve services may include a second shift for trash collections and bringing recycling collection in-house rather than using contractors.

Jason Waldron will serve in the new role of Transportation Director in the Public Works Department, which is at the same level as Deputy Director. Waldron will manage the implementation of the Vision Zero initiative, pedestrian safety efforts, a rapid plan to install protected bike lanes across the city, and other multimodal transit programs. Waldron has been serving as acting deputy director.

Human Resources Department:

Manager Platt has appointed Teri Casey to serve as Human Resources Director. Teri has served as acting director for the past year. Her priority will be to implement the City Manager’s new plan to reduce discrimination, improve equity and create a more supportive and inclusive culture and workplace across the entire organization. The first phase of this plan includes creating a new Equal Employment Opportunity division, designed to dramatically cut the city’s liabilities due to EEO claims and payouts, as well as other investments in new staff and resources related to employee training and professional development.

The City will also hire a Chief Equity Officer, a new position to oversee compliance with our EEO and anti-discrimination polices as well as ensure we continue progress with our culture building efforts. This position will report directly to the City Manager.

The City will invest at least $500,000 in Human Resources to further these goals, which will serve to reduce our annual legal settlements and claims expenses which total over $8 million on average.

Law:

Acting City Attorney Matt Gigliotti will become permanent City Attorney. Gigliotti succeeds Cecilia Abbott, who retired eight months ago. Matt has worked with the City nearly 14 years, and previously was the Deputy City Attorney.

General Services Department:

Acting General Services Director Yolanda McKinzy has earned a promotion to permanent department director. McKinzy has served in the acting role for the past year, leading efforts during the pandemic to create new cleaning protocols and install protective barriers. She also led a citywide staff committee that created workplace safety guidelines.

Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department:

Assistant City Manager Earnest Rouse will become acting department director. Rouse just finished a successful year as Interim City Manager, guiding city operations with a steady hand during a tumultuous time. The previous department director, Oscar McGaskey, recently retired and the city will conduct a national search for a replacement.

Biographical information on each new director is below and on the KCMO.gov home page.

Bios

Michael J. Shaw, a graduate of Central Missouri State University, has been with the City for 22 years. Most recently, he served as Assistant to the Director for the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department. Shaw is returning to the Public Works Department where he previously served nine years as Assistant to the Director. While managing our Solid Waste Services, he pioneered curbside recycling and successfully oversaw bringing all trash collection in-house instead of using contractors, which saved significant taxpayer funds and increased citizen satisfaction.

Shaw is recognized for his expertise in sustainable municipal waste management solutions. He formerly served as chair of Mid America Regional Council Solid Waste Management District and legislative chair of the Missouri Solid Waste Advisory Board.

Jason Waldron has been with the City for seven years, serving as project manager for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension and as Associate Director of Multimodal Transportation. He was founding co-chair of the KCMO Mobility Committee and is a Public Works liaison on the KCMO Vision Zero Task Force. Waldron’s previous roles also include managing the streetcar and sidewalk programs.

Prior to joining KCMO, Jason spent 17 years in the private sector as a transportation consultant. He was involved with roadway, park, sidewalk, trail and transit projects throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. Jason has also served on the Kansas City Neighborhood Advisory Council and the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

Waldron is a registered professional engineer and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University. He’s on the Board of Directors for the Engineers Club of Kansas City and is an alum of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurion Leadership program. In 2018, Waldron studied emerging multimodal transportation policies and best practices in New Zealand and Australia after being selected for the American Public Works Association Jennings Randolph International Fellowship.

Teri Casey has over 20 years of experience in the field of Human Resources. Prior to her appointment to Acting Director in January 2020, Casey managed the Labor & Employee Relations Division. She has served on the City's Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation team and then administered those agreements; developed supervisor training programs; reviewed requests for serious disciplinary action and served as Secretary to the Human Resources Board, which is appointed by the Mayor.

Casey serves on the Executive Committee for the Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City, as VP and Board Member for the Missouri Public Employer Labor Relations Association, and on the Mentorship Committee for the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association. She has a master’s degree in Business Administration from Baker University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas. In addition, Teri holds certifications as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR), a Society of Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), and as a Certified Labor Relations Professional (CLRP) from the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association and has attended the Program on Negotiations and Leadership at Harvard Law School.

Matt Gigliotti’s career with the City dates to 2005 when he first served as a law student intern. He has been a full-time employee since January 2007. He is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri and the Tulane University School of Law where he focused on environmental law and was an editor for the Tulane Environmental Law Journal.

In his time with the City he has had both litigation and corporate assignments, providing legal support to virtually every department in the City. His background in environmental law has enabled him to provide critical legal services for the City’s Smart Sewer overflow control program.

A graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Centurions Leadership Program, Gigliotti is certified as a “Local Government Fellow” by the International Municipal Lawyers Association. In 2016 Missouri Lawyer’s Media named him an “Up and Coming Lawyer” in Public Service.

Acting General Services Director Yolanda McKinzy has earned a promotion to permanent department director. McKinzy has served in the acting role for the past year, leading efforts during the pandemic to create new cleaning protocols and install protective barriers. She also led a citywide staff committee that created workplace safety guidelines.

Since starting as a budget analyst 20 years ago, Yolanda McKinzy has risen through the ranks, working in both the City Manager’s Office and the General Services Department.

She has a master’s degree in Business Administration and is professionally certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Certified Public Manager from UMKC.

She has managed the delivery of support services to City departments, including information systems, risk management, facilities maintenance, purchasing, property management, vehicle operations and maintenance.

Assistant City Manager Earnest Rouse just completed a successful year as acting city manager. During a 30+ year career in Kansas City government, he has held various positions including budget analyst, financial manager, assistant to the city manager and General Services Department director. He has also served as the city’s 311 Action Center Director.

Rouse is a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), where he has held various local offices, including chapter president. Additionally, he serves or has served on numerous local boards including the Mid America Assistance Coalition (MAAC), Renaissance West, the Kansas City Credit Union and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Earnest is a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree (with honors) from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Iowa State University.

This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.