Fountain Valley New City Manager, Robert J. Houston | City of Fountain Valley

Fountain Valley New City Manager, Robert J. Houston | City of Fountain Valley
June 26, 2017 Ralph Andersen & Associates' Staff

Rob Houston, deputy city manager of Newport Beach, has been formally announced as the new city manager of Fountain Valley and will start work July 31. PHOTO COURTESY ROB HOUSTON

On Tuesday, June 20 City Council vote to approve an employment contract with Robert J. Houston as the City’s next City Manager. Mr. Houston will begin his employment with the City of Fountain Valley on July 31, 2017.

Former City Manager Bob Hall retired in March 2017 after three years of service and the City Council hired John Sibley as the Interim City Manager until a new City Manager is selected and begins work. The City Council also hired Dave Morgan with Ralph Andersen and Associates to conduct an executive search for a new City Manager. Dave Morgan conducted a nationwide recruitment and received approximately 40 resumes from some highly qualified candidates.

The candidates’ resumes were reviewed and the top seven (7) candidates were selected for the first round of interviews and the City Council then narrowed down the field of qualified candidates to the top two (2) for the second round of interviews. The City Council directed the interim City Manager to negotiate the terms of an employment contract with Mr. Houston, following a comprehensive reference and background check by Ralph Anderson and Associates.

Mr. Houston was the Deputy City Manager in Newport Beach. He has over 25 years of experience working in government with over 10 years of senior level experience. He has worked for full service cities of Carlsbad and Newport Beach. Mr. Houston has extensive experience working on sensitive special projects, negotiations, community outreach, information technology, strategic planning, budge, land use, and public works. Mr. Houston holds a Masters of Business Administration from Royal Roads University and Bachelors of Business Administration from Trinity Western University in British Columbia, Canada.

Source: Fountain Valley, CA – Official Website

Additional Reading:

Fountain Valley’s new city manager-to-be gets a surprise – lunch with the Dalai Lama | The Orange County Register

Fountain Valley hires Newport official to be its city manager | Daily Pilot, via the Los Angeles Times