City of Bozeman Announces City Manager Finalists

Tuesday Sep. 12th, 2017

BOZEMAN, MT (September 11, 2017) – The City of Bozeman has narrowed the search for the next City Manager to six highly qualified candidates.

According to Mayor Carson Taylor, “Finding the ideal City Manager for Bozeman is a top priority for the City Commission, and we have been fortunate to receive a remarkable number of highly qualified applicants.” Taylor added, “Bozeman’s success as a thriving community is due to our engaged community and dedicated city staff, so finding a person who views servant leadership and service to the community as guiding principles is important.”

The City selected Strategic Government Resources (SGR), to assist in conducting the extensive search that resulted in an impressive candidate pool. SGR is an executive recruitment firm based in Keller, Texas, specializing in recruiting, assessing, and developing, innovative, collaborative, and authentic leaders for local governments.  SGR’s proprietary recruitment and vetting process produced an incredibly strong field of candidates. The City received 82 applications from candidates in 33 states, as well as Washington, D.C.

The finalists:

Dave Buckingham has seven years of city management experience and a 26-year career in the United States Army. Buckingham most recently served as the City Manager Morro Bay, California. During his military career, he served as Director of Army Environmental Programs at the Pentagon, City Manager of the Military Community in Vicenza, Italy, and Chief Executive and Operations Director, at Ft. Richardson, Alaska. Buckingham holds a Master of Arts, International Relations from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, a Master of Arts, National Strategic Studies from Salve Regina University, and a Bachelor of Science, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.


Dan Chandler has more than 25 years of governmental experience and currently serves as Assistant County Administrator for Clackamas County, Oregon, where he also served as Senior Assistant County Counsel from 2008-2011. A practicing attorney since 1992, Chandler has been associated with Chandler Law Offices, Portland, Oregon; Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Vancouver Washington; Ramis Crew Corrigan & Bachrach, Portland, Oregon; Browning, Kaleczyc, Berry & Hoven, Helena, Montana. Chandler holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Harvard Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western Washington University.

Rachael Fuller currently serves as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Gresham, Oregon, where she also served as Senior Operations Manager. Fuller has 16 years of local government experience and previously served the Town of Jackson, Wyoming as Special Project Coordinator from 2006 to 2011, and Program Manager from 2004 to 2006. Fuller holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Wyoming, and a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College.


Shawn Kessel has more than 17 years of local government experience and currently serves as the City Administrator for the City of Dickinson, North Dakota a position he has held since 2009. He previously served as City Administrator for the City of Wahpeton, North Dakota from 2000 to 2009. An ICMA Credentialed Manager, Kessel holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Mary and a Bachelor of Social Work from Moorhead State University.


J.J. Murphy has more than 13 years of local government experience and currently serves as the City Manager of Hobbs, New Mexico. He previously served the City of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2010 as City Administrator and Deputy City Administrator. He also served as President/CEO of Goals Consulting, LLC in Wilkes-Barre. Murphy is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he continues to serve as a Watch Supervisor, Controller Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. An ICMA Credentialed Manager, Murphy holds a Master of Public Administration from Marywood University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from King’s College.

Andrea Surratt is an ICMA Credentialed Manager with more than 26 years of municipal government experience and has served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Hickory, North Carolina since 2007. Surratt previously served as Planning and Community Development Director for Moore County, North Carolina and as Town Manager and Director of Planning for the Town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. She held the positions of Planning and Development Manager and Senior Planner for the City of Wilmington, North Carolina, and Municipal Planner for the City of Nixa, Missouri. Surratt holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from Clemson University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Guilford College.