Jesus Nava. Courtesy photo.
OXNARD — City Manager Greg Nyhoff announced that he selected Jesus Nava as Oxnard’s new assistant city manager. Nava began his duties effective Dec. 19. He replaces Maria Hurtado and will oversee the Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology departments. He will also be responsible for the oversight of the Public Information Office division of the City Manager’s Office and the Cultural and Community Services Department, which includes the Library, Recreation and Community Services, Performing Arts and Convention Center and CarnegieArt Museum.
“I found Mr. Nava to be an excellent fit for our organization because of his executive leadership experience serving primarily as a finance director. His background also includes working as a city manager and assistant city manager,” said City Manager Greg Nyhoff.
“I am pleased to be working in a community with a large Latino population, and I look forward to doing the best that I can for the community,” said Jesus Nava. “I am well-versed in public finance and transparency standards, and I will do my part to help the City become financially strong and resilient,” he said.
Nava has served in the public sector for more than 30 years, with experience that includes overseeing budget preparation, human resources, information technology, public information and communications, as well as the establishment of a convention and visitors bureau. He also has experience launching community initiatives, having collaborated with community colleges and high schools to create a career pathway program for students interested in public service.
Prior to joining the Oxnard team, Nava worked as chief administrative officer for the Santa Clara Valley Water District; finance director/treasurer for the City of Burlingame, Calif.; deputy city manager for city council relations at the City of San Jose, Calif.; city manager for the City of Las Cruces, N.M., and assistant city manager for the City of Laredo, Texas. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Throughout his career, Nava has been actively involved in forging relations with Latin American cities. In November 2016, he led a delegation of U.S. municipal government officials to Mexico City to meet with representatives from Mexico and Cuba to discuss municipal government challenges and opportunities for international municipal government collaborations.
Nava earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas. He is an active member of the International Hispanic Network and the International City/County Management Association. He was also a member of the Government Accounting Standards Board Advisory Council.
Nava’s starting annual salary is $220,247.
The City of Oxnard is a full-service general law city incorporated in 1903. Oxnard is the largest and most populous city in the County of Ventura, serving 200,000 culturally diverse residents. Read more about the City of Oxnard at www.cityofoxnard.org. Follow us on social media at www.twitter.com/CityofOxnard (@CityofOxnard), www.facebook.com/CityofOxnard and www.vimeo.com/cityofoxnard.