W. Brent Robertson has been named Assistant City Manager for Community Development, replacing Brian Townsend upon his retirement at the end of June 2020. A national search was conducted and Robertson was one of more than 100 applicants who applied for the position.
Since October 2019, Robertson has been serving as Accounting and Systems Manager in the City’s Department of Finance. Before working for the City, he served as Franklin County’s Administrator from June 2015 to March 2019, managing 350 employees and a budget of $148 million. Prior to his time in Franklin County, he was the Director of Management and Budget for Roanoke County from November 1990 to June 2015.
Robertson earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Radford University and a Master of Public Administration degree from James Madison University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Certificate in Local Government Management from Virginia Tech. He has also completed the Batten Leadership Institute at Hollins University.
“As a life-long Virginia resident with more than 20 years of local government experience, Brent’s expertise will be a valuable asset to advance the City of Roanoke’s objectives and priorities,” said City Manager Bob Cowell. “We are pleased to have someone of Brent’s caliber join our city administration team.”
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