The Harrisonburg City Manager’s office will have a new face on its leadership team beginning next month. Beginning Aug. 5, Brian Vandenberg will serve as Harrisonburg’s newest assistant to the city manager.
Vandenberg, who most recently served as a strategic innovation consultant for the City of Tallahassee, Fla., graduated with a master’s of public administration from Syracuse University in 2021.
As assistant to the city manager, Vandenberg will be responsible for working with Ande Banks, city manager; Amy Snider, deputy city manager; and all city departments in planning, executing and evaluating organization-wide strategies that achieve the goals of Harrisonburg City Council’s 2043 vision plan.
“I grew up in an Air Force family and examples of service were always in abundance,” said Vandenberg. “As a teenager, I wasn’t sure what career path would be right for me, but I knew I wanted to do something to make the world better for others.”
Vandenberg is ready to hit the ground running working for the people of Harrisonburg.
“I’m excited to step into this role, not only because it’s a natural extension of the work I’ve done so far in my career, but because the caliber and character of the people at all levels of this organization is remarkable,” said Vandenberg.
“I’m honored to join such a team and be part of a community that celebrates diversity and is known for friendliness. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities to innovate in local government, so I look forward to enhancing operational efficiencies with the City of Harrisonburg so we can better serve our community.”
In addition to his work in local government, Vandenberg took part in the Teach for America program as a middle school teacher at a Title I school and served as director of the Conversations in Conflict Studies series at the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration at the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs.
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Crystal Graham
