9/5/2023
Press Release
City of Clarkston Appoints Tammi Saddler Jones as Clarkston’s Interim City Manager
The City of Clarkston has appointed Tammi Saddler Jones as Interim City Manager at its September 5, 2023, City Council meeting.
In late August, the City hired Sumter Local Government Consulting to aid the City in identifying qualified candidates to serve in an interim capacity for the City following the separation agreement mutually agreed to by the City and their former City Manager Shawanna Qawiy. Since that time, Finance Director Dan Defnall has served as the Acting City Manager. Ms. Saddler Jones will begin work as Interim City Manager on September 6th for an indefinite period while the City determines an appropriate process and schedule for filling this important vacancy.
Tammi Saddler Jones was identified and recommended to the City for this assignment. She has over 25 years of experience in local government and is an accomplished executive, having served in leadership positions for both small and large communities in Texas, Connecticut, and Georgia.
Ms. Jones most recently worked for the City of South Fulton, GA (population 108,000) starting in late 2020. She started her work there as the Assistant City Manager, then as Interim City Manager and was quickly promoted to the City Manager role. Prior to that, Ms. Jones served as the City Administrator for the City of Smyrna, GA (population 57,000).
Ms. Jones has earned both a Bachelor’s degree in English from Tougaloo College in Mississippi and her Master of Public Administration degree from The Ohio State University.
She is an active member of both the Georgia City-County Managers Association (GCCMA) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). She earned the prestigious Credentialed Manager (ICMA-CM) designation in 2012.
The City of Clarkston is fortunate to have found such as qualified and motivated leader for the City to take over during this crucial time period. Clarkston Mayor Beverly Burks said, “We are grateful to Sumter Consulting for quickly locating and recommending Tammi to us during this critical time period for the City. We look forward to working collaboratively with Tammi and our capable staff through our annual budget process and any challenges we face in the coming months. By hiring an Interim City Manager, we can catch our breath, get through the upcoming elections, our budget process and other projects without the pressure of having to immediately start the time-consuming process to find a permanent City Manager. This allows us to take a thoughtful and measured approach to the recruitment of our next leader.”
Ms. Jones is excited to begin this assignment. “My profession is managing cities and the City of Clarkston is a wonderful place to work. I am excited to get to know our elected officials, our dedicated staff and the great citizens of Clarkston. I embrace the diversity of the community and the many opportunities for success we have in front of us. I will be spending the next few weeks meeting with the staff and other people, learning about the City, and working to provide high quality services to the citizens and businesses in Clarkston.”