Lane Dilg - Interim City Manager

lane.dilg@smgov.net

Lane Dilg was appointed Interim City Manager for the City of Santa Monica in April 2020 in the midst of the COVID19 public health emergency. As Interim City Manager, Lane is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the City of Santa Monica, with a residential population of approximately 92,000, implementation of City Council policies, and oversight of the City’s fourteen departments and operational budget. Prior to her appointment as Interim City Manager, Lane led the City Attorney’s Office as City Attorney.

Lane joined Santa Monica as part of a distinguished career in public service. As an attorney, she has served as a close advisor to executive leadership at UCLA and UCLA Health, advised U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein as Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee through two Supreme Court confirmation hearings and in the aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis, advised the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on matters of judicial administration, prosecuted federal public corruption and human trafficking offenses as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and led litigation and negotiations for public and private entities. Lane’s prior appointments include serving as a member of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris’s Senate Transition Team, as the President of the Los Angeles County Prosecutors Association, as the President of the Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles, and as a Lecturer in Law at UCLA School of Law. Lane is a graduate of Yale Law School, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

At every stage of her education and career, Lane has focused on questions of how communities best live and thrive together. She lives in Santa Monica with her family.

Katie Lichtig - Assistant City Manager/Chief Operating Officer

katie.lichtig@smgov.net

In the Assistant City Manager/Chief Operating Officer position, Katie is tasked with coordinating departmental leadership to proactively and reactively respond to issues City-wide. This includes regularly conferring with the public through outreach meetings and engagements with a myriad of stakeholders including outside agencies and civic groups. Katie also attends City Council meetings on a regular basis and acts as a liaison between City Council and the City Manager’s Office.

In the absence of the City Manager, Katie is also tasked with taking on the roles and responsibilities of that position.

Katie returned to Santa Monica in 2017 after serving as City Manager for the City of San Luis Obispo and holding leadership positions in Malibu and Beverly Hills. She had previously served as Santa Monica’s Assistant to the City Manager for Management Services from 1992-2001. Katie holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University and a BA in Political Science from UC Davis. 

Anuj Gupta - Deputy City Manager

anuj.gupta@smgov.net

As the Deputy City Manager, Anuj is deeply involved in the executive leadership at City of Santa Monica. While involved in day-to-day operations at the City, Anuj is primarily tasked with spearheading the forward-looking policies and initiatives for an innovative and progressive municipal government. The most substantial initiatives Anuj is tasked with are defined under Council’s Strategic Goals.

During the implementation of the Strategic Goals, Anuj will be working with intergovernmental agencies, community partnerships, neighborhoods, businesses, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to accomplish the goals set by City Council. Anuj is also overseeing the City’s efforts to transition to a Performance Management model to better oversee resource disbursements for future programs and projects.

Anuj previously served in the administrations of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as the General Counsel in the Office of Immigrant Affairs and under President Barack Obama as an Associate Staff Secretary. Anuj holds a BA in Public Policy from Stanford and graduated from NYU School of Law. 

Debbie Lee - Chief Communications Officer

debbie.lee@smgov.net

In the capacity of Chief Communications Officer, Debbie is the City’s chief spokesperson and oversees the Office of Communications. Debbie and her team manage the City’s integrated communication strategy which includes everything from print publications to web management, including social media. In the event of media coverage, Debbie will coordinate the City’s response across departments and personnel.

Debbie develops and maintains media relations to ensure optimal coverage of City programs, special events, public announcements, and other projects. Working closely with the City Manager and City Attorney, Debbie also manages the contracts for federal and state lobbyists and tracks issues or pending legislation pertaining to the City or Council.

Debbie joined the City of Santa Monica after holding executive leadership positions at Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. and the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau. Debbie studied English Literature at UC Riverside.

Lindsay Barker – Chief Resilience Officer

lindsay.barker@smgov.net

In the capacity of Chief Resilience Officer, Lindsay is responsible for leading the efforts of the Office of Emergency Management, which includes Public Safety Dispatch and Emergency Preparedness. In the event of any type of emergency, natural or manmade, Lindsay’s team will be directing the City’s resources in response.

For the days we are fortunate enough not to have a disaster, Lindsay is preparing and overseeing proactive efforts to mitigate future disasters. This includes creating disaster recovery plans for residents, businesses, employees, and with other agencies. Lindsay coordinates with local, state, and federal agencies on a regular basis to ensure that Santa Monica is prepared for any type of disaster at all times.

Lindsay previously worked for Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, where she held the position of Director of Emergency Management and Public Safety. She holds a BA in International Service at American University and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UCLA. 

Tim Dodd - Chief Performance Officer

tim.dodd@smgov.net

As the Chief Performance Officer, Tim works with every department to implement the newly created Performance Management model. In this capacity, Tim works closely with department liaisons to identify outcomes and metrics that can be tracked as indicators of the City’s performance on a variety of issues. Then based on metrics collected, Tim can update and improve the Performance Management model to better track the distribution of resources to programs and projects.

Tim actively trains staff throughout the City to serve as liaisons within their department to help build a solid base of users to contribute to the data-driven culture at the City of Santa Monica.

Tim has been responsible for performance management efforts at City of Baltimore as its Performance Manager and has worked on projects for the State of Massachusetts. He holds a Master of Arts in History from Providence College and Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University.

Julie Rusk - Chief of Civic Wellbeing

julie.rusk@smgov.net

In the capacity of Chief of Civic Wellbeing, Julie is responsible for implementing the Wellbeing Index for Santa Monica. Julie oversees the team that is implementing the revolutionary index across the City with input from various stakeholders in Santa Monica.

Her duties include, coordination across various departments, overseeing marketing and data management initiatives associated with wellbeing, and supervising the work of the Office of Wellbeing staff.

Julie is an active member of the community, including a distinguished tenure in the City’s Community & Cultural Services Department. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from University of Massachusetts Boston. 

Christopher J. Smith – Assistant to the City Manager/LGBTQ Liaison

christopher.j.smith@smgov.net

In the capacity of Assistant to the City Manager, Christopher is responsible for providing administrative support to the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and Deputy City Manager. This includes overseeing and coordinating the staff report approval process with internal departments for presentation to City Council.

Christopher is also responsible for representing the City Manager’s Office in interdepartmental meetings along with certain boards and commissions, as assigned.

Christopher holds a BA in English and Political Science from University of Washington and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach. 

Alisa Orduña - Senior Advisor to the City Manager on Homelessness

alisa.orduna@smgov.net

As the Senior Advisor to the City Manager on Homelessness, Alisa is responsible for playing a leadership role in coordinating services to the homeless population in Santa Monica. Alisa works with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure that Santa Monica has the resources to service the homeless and help alleviate the on-going issue.

Working closely with the Office of Communications, Alisa will coordinate community outreach strategies along with media requests as they relate to homelessness. Alisa may also serve as the City Manager’s representative at community group meetings, boards, commissions and inter-departmental working groups.

Alisa most recently served as the Director of Homelessness Policy under Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s homeless cabinet. She holds a BA in English from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Master's degree in Public and International Affairs from University of Pittsburgh. She holds an additional Master's degree in Psychology and is pursuing a Doctorate of Philosophy from Pacifica Graduate Institute.