Farmington Hills Promotes Karen Mondora to Assistant City Manager
(City of Farmington Hills, Nov. 27, 2023)
Farmington Hills, MI – The City of Farmington Hills is pleased to announce the promotion of Karen Mondora to assistant city manager effective Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. For the past seven years, she has served as the City’s director of public services. This is the first time a woman will serve in this capacity in the history of City of Farmington Hills, solidifying the City’s administration as a women-led majority with women now holding 10 of 14 leadership positions.
“Karen has been an exceptional asset to the City since she started over eleven years ago in the Department of Public Services,” said City Manager Gary Mekjian. “Time and time again, Karen has demonstrated her strong commitment to our community and residents, and I’m sure she will embody the same dedication as assistant city manager.”
Mondora has worked for the City of Farmington Hills since February 2012 and has served as the City’s director of public services since June 2016. As director of public services, she led a team of more than 60 full-time employees across the divisions of engineering, public works and building maintenance, and managed the department’s annual budget and capital improvements projects. Her major accomplishments as director of public services include developing the City’s first integrated asset management plan for roads, bridges, culverts, sanitary sewer and water main, and leading staff through the American Public Works Association (APWA) accreditation process in 2016 and reaccreditation in 2021, which demonstrates the department’s high standards. Most recently, she was part of the team spearheading the Farmington Area Fiber City project, a fiber internet infrastructure that will bring some of the world’s fastest internet to residents and businesses in the City of Farmington Hills.
“It’s an immense honor to serve the City of Farmington Hills as assistant city manager, and to be the first woman in this position is historical,” said Karen Mondora. “I am eager to work closely with our city council, city manager and employees across the City to advance our City’s goals and ensure that the City of Farmington Hills remains one of the largest and most diverse cities in Oakland County for many generations to come.”
In 2022, Mondora participated in the Women’s Municipal Leadership Program through the Michigan Municipal league, aimed at training and preparing women for leadership positions in local government. Colleagues commend her efforts to uplift fellow women in local government and to ensure they have access to the resources, education and tools needed to elevate their careers.
Prior to joining the City, Mondora held positions in both the public and private sector, specializing in storm water management and municipal engineering. She is a graduate of Michigan Technological University, where she studied environmental engineering. She is also a licensed professional engineer through the State of Michigan and is certified in emergency management through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She currently represents the Michigan chapter of APWA as a national delegate. Previously served as the national diversity chair for the APWA and as the Project of the Year awards chair for the Michigan chapter.
Mondora lives in Bloomfield Township with her husband, Brad. They have two college-aged sons, Evan and Jack. In her free time, she enjoys staying active, traveling, cooking and learning about the latest local sustainability initiatives.
Senior Engineer Tammy Gushard will manage the duties of the director of public services on an interim basis until the position is filled permanently.
