City Manager Mary K. Suhm

Mary K. Suhm was appointed City Manager for the City of Dallas in June 2005. She had served as Interim City Manager from June 2004. As the chief executive officer for the city, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the municipal organization, including implementing an FY 2007-2008 budget totaling $2.65 billion and overseeing 13,000 employees.

Ms. Suhm’s abilities have earned her a reputation for creativity and innovation in meeting challenges facing a large city. She has played a long-standing leadership role in assessing departmental operations and developing solutions for designated high priority concerns of the City. Some of her recent accomplishments include:

• Introducing cutting-edge technique to Budget for Outcomes by setting the price of government, developing strategies to achieve desired community results, providing essential services based on citizen input, and aligning those services in accordance with Council priorities;
• Leading the City’s response to Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita, the largest evacuation effort in the nation’s history, establishing and operating two major shelters (Reunion Arena and the Dallas Convention Center), and a Disaster Recovery Center for hurricane victims to access critical local, state and federal services and implementing the Mayor’s Project Exodus to temporarily house transplants from devastated areas until long-term residences could be established;
• Reorganizing City service delivery to align with 5 priorities established by the City Council and establishing a customer service ethic throughout the organization;
• Establishing a permanent “Efficiency Team” to streamline City processes, generate revenues and reduce costs;
• Coordinating state and federal lobbying efforts related to the $1.2 billion Trinity River Project;
• Providing an effective centralized citywide procurement system and eliminating purchase requisition backlogs, while increasing participation of historically underutilized businesses;
• Negotiating Interlocal Agreements between the Cities of Dallas, Euless, Irving, and Fort Worth to share tax revenues generated at DFW International Airport;
• Rallying community support and securing funds to establish the Latino Cultural Center;
• Fostering efforts to establish Raymond Nasher’s world renowned sculpture collection as a permanent exhibit in Dallas.

Additionally, her leadership was instrumental in the establishment of the City’s Marketing Income Program; the Citywide Volunteer Program; the Citizen Police Academy; the Office of Intergovernmental Services; and in the implementation of the City’s 3-1-1 Non-Emergency Response System.

During her five years as First Assistant City Manager and five years as Assistant City Manager, Suhm held a variety of responsibilities related to the daily operations of key City departments, including Financial Services, Business Development & Procurement Services, Intergovernmental Services, Public Information, Housing, Street Services, Sanitation, Code Enforcement, Aviation, Water Utilities, Event Services/Cultural Affairs, Human Resources and Communications & Information Services.

Since joining the City in 1978, Suhm has also served as Executive Assistant Director of the Dallas Police Department (the first female non-sworn executive in DPD history); Director of Court Services; Assistant to the City Manager; Assistant to the Mayor; Manager of Urban Information Center at the Dallas Public Library; and as Manager of three Dallas Branch Libraries.

Before joining the City of Dallas, she was Director of the Allen Public Library and taught high school biology for the Allen and Carrollton, Texas, Independent School Districts.

Suhm is keenly interested in and committed to the advancement of women in the City of Dallas, and is actively involved in formal and informal mentoring programs for mid-level women managers. In recognition of her professional achievements, the North Central Texas Council of Government presented Suhm the Linda Keithley Award for Women in Public Management. Additionally in 2006 she was named Woman of the Year by the Women’s Council of Dallas County.

Suhm earned Masters degrees in both Business Administration and Library Science from the University of North Texas and received her bachelor of science from Lamar University.