Meet the City Manager
Steve Burkett was appointed City Manager in October 2009. He has local government leadership and management experience in cities across the country. In addition to his current position in Sequim, Steve served as city manager in four cities: Shoreline, Washington; Tallahassee, Florida; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Springfield, Oregon. He also worked in management positions in Phoenix, Arizona; and Corvallis, Oregon. In addition to his government service, Steve was president and CEO of The Woodlands Community Service Corporation, a private non-profit corporation providing city services to the internationally recognized master-planned community of The Woodlands, Texas.

Although Steve’s primary role as city manager is providing organizational leadership and accountability, he has developed expertise in strategic planning, long-range financial planning, and customer service improvement. He is also experienced in the support of elected officials in effective policy development and implementation. He has practical, hands-on experience in the difficult process of organizational development and improvement in city operations despite challenging financial environments.

Steve has been recognized for developing high-performance, customer-oriented organizations. He has used private-sector techniques to increase the quality and reduce the cost of city government. In Fort Collins, he developed a quality improvement process that received international recognition. He has made presentations to many groups, including the National League of Cities, International City/County Management Association, Colorado Governor Roy Romer’s Cabinet, Innovations Group and the National Quality Conferences. In 2005, he received the Washington City/County Management Association Award of Excellence.

Among the community and professional boards Steve has served are the Oregon and Colorado City Management Associations, United Way boards in three cities, the International City/County Management Board of Regents, and the League of Oregon Cities.

Steve grew up in Pasco, Washington and is a graduate of Western Washington University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in political science, with a concentration in public administration. Steve and his wife Bobbi live in Sunland and have two grown daughters.