FRESNO, CA – Mayor Lee Brand and Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan-Schecter today announced that Jim Schaad has been named the City of Fresno’s new Assistant City Manager, effective Monday, August 27, 2018. Mr. Schaad has served as the City’s Director of Transportation since September 2017, where he managed the successful implementation of the new “Q” Bus Rapid Transit System.
Mayor Brand and City Manager Quan-Schecter have also announced that Assistant Transportation Director Gregory Barfield will be the interim Director of Transportation, also effective Monday. Mr. Barfield was assistant director since December, 2016, where he was in charge of Operations, Planning, and Support Services.
“I’m so pleased to be able to promote from within and bring two people with considerable experience and ability to higher leadership roles,” said Ms. Quan-Schecter. “Jim has shown superior skill in managing complex projects and he’ll make an excellent addition to the City Manager’s office, while Greg has long been one of the smartest and most capable people serving at City Hall. They’re both rock stars.”
Schaad served as an assistant director for the Transportation Department for 6 years, where he was responsible for the Department’s capital projects and maintenance operations. He entered the public sector 16 years ago, where he began managing ongoing operations and capital projects for the City of Fresno's Fleet Management Division. Prior to civil service, Schaad spent 16 years managing various manufacturing operations in the private sector. He has also taught at California State University, Fresno as an adjunct professor for the last 18 years.
Schaad has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology from California State University, Fresno and a Master's in Business Administration from Portland State University. He and his wife Lynn have been married for 29 years and have two adult children.
A native of Fresno, Barfield was responsible for a department with over 300 persons that served just under 10 million riders last year with 16 fixed routes and 104 buses covering over 5 million road miles. Prior to his role as Assistant Director of Transportation, he served for 10 years as Chief of Staff to Councilmembers Oliver Baines & Cynthia Sterling.
He has worked in all levels of government, been active in many local, state and federal political campaigns in the last 30 plus years with time spent working at community based non-profits, institutions of higher learning and private business along the way. Barfield is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University’s School of Business with a Masters in Leadership and Organizational Studies. He is married to Angie and together in their blended family, they have seven children, four grandchildren and one great grandchild.