Austin announces permanent assistant city manager

KXAN
by: Kelsey Thompson
Posted: Jan 9, 2024 / 04:07 PM CST
Updated: Jan 9, 2024 / 10:26 PM CST

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin announced in a Friday memo Interim Assistant City Manager Robert Goode will continue to serve in a permanent capacity.

Now an official assistant city manager, Goode will continue to oversee Austin Water, Watershed Protection, Aviation, Transportation and Public Works, Capital Delivery Services and the city’s involvement in Project Connect, per the memo. Goode assumed the role of interim assistant city manager in January 2023, with prior experience in the utility, mobility and transportation sectors.

He also previously served the city for 11 years, the memo added. During that time, he worked as assistant city manager and oversaw the Infrastructure Services Group that oversaw the following departments:

• Aviation
• Austin Water
• Austin Resource Recovery
• Austin Corridor Program Office
• Public Works
• Transportation

Goode earned a bachelor of science in civil engineering from the University of Idaho, per the memo.

Other promotions announced in the memo included the appointment of Ghizlane Badawi to serve as the interim airport chief executive officer. She had been serving in a deputy chief executive officer capacity at AUS prior to the promotion.

Badawi has more than 15 years of strategic leadership experience, with prior work serving as deputy chief executive officer, assistant director, chief operating officer and chief experience and performance officer.

Jim Smith — who had been serving as interim airport chief executive officer since March 2023 — will continue to offer consultation assistance as Badawi assumes her new role, the memo added. Smith had previously served as AUS’ CEO from 2000 to 2019.