City Manager's Office

As Alexandria's chief administrative officer, the City Manager is responsible for overseeing a budget of over $500 million and a workforce of more than 2,500 employees.

Page updated on Feb 1, 2019 at 12:05 PM

The Alexandria City Manager is appointed by the City Council to be the chief administrative officer of the City. The City Manager carries out the policy directives of the City Council and manages the daily operations of City government. The City Manager oversees the preparation of  the annual operating and capital budgets, an annual report and other such periodic financial and administrative reports as may be required for submission to the City Council. The City Manager appoints all heads of departments and employees of the City, except those in elected, judicial and school positions.

The City Manager's administrative staff oversees the preparation and review of all City Council docket items, requests, and Council Retreat materials. The administrative staff also serves as a liaison with City departments and with other governmental entities receiving funding from the City, but not reporting to the City Manager, and generally administers the City government.

City Manager Mark B. Jinks

On April 14, 2015, the Alexandria City Council  appointed Mark B. Jinks as City Manager. Prior to his appointment, Jinks had previously served as Acting City Manager, beginning in January 2015.  Jinks has dedicated his career to public service.  He joined the City in 1999 as Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the City's budget, finance programs, and information technology services. He served for 10 years in that role before becoming a Deputy City Manager where he oversaw  the City's land use planning, zoning, historic preservation, transportation, environmental protection, code administration, affordable housing, parks, recreation, cultural activities, and museums. His responsibilities included the areas of economic development, project finance, and project implementation. Prior to his time in Alexandria, Jinks served as the Director of Management and Finance and Budget Director for Arlington County, Va.

Jinks holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from The Pennsylvania State University. He is an alumnus of executive education programs at the Kennedy School at Harvard, the University of Virginia and Syracuse University. Jinks taught public finance and budgeting at universities in the United States and Poland, and has served as an economic development and financial management consultant to the cities of Warsaw, and Krakow Poland.

Jinks is a member of the Regionalism Council of the Urban Land Institute Washington, the Board of Directors of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, and the Chief Administrative Officers Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Jinks served as the Chair of the Alexandria-Arlington Waste-to-Energy facility board, and on the boards of public pension funds for both Arlington County and the City of Alexandria. He served as a member the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Joint Development Task Force and the Client Advisory Board for Prudential Retirement. He has also served as a Governor's appointee to the Joint Legislative Subcommittee that reformed Virginia's business license tax system.

Emily Baker ThumbDeputy City Manager Emily A. Baker

Emily A. Baker is the Deputy City Manager responsible for overseeing and facilitating the City's land use planning, zoning, historic preservation, transportation, environmental protection, code administration, affordable housing, recreation, parks, cultural activities and museum functions. 

Baker joined the City in 2000.  After her appointment as the first Director of the Department of Project Implementation in 2013, she supervised the initial implementation of the City’s Waterfront Plan.  She previously served as the City Engineer and Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES), where she was responsible for the Engineering Design and Construction Divisions.  Baker has also served as Acting Director of T&ES.  

Over her 20-plus years of experience, Baker has overseen the design and construction of projects in both the public and private sectors. During her tenure, she has provided leadership, project management, and technical oversight for multi-million dollar, large capital infrastructure projects. 

Baker is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and Maryland. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), and a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Debra Collins thumbnail imageDeputy City Manager Debra R. Collins

Debra R. Collins is the Deputy City Manager responsible for the oversight of Public Safety Agencies and the Department of Community and Human Services. She is the City Liaison to the Health Department, Commonwealth's Attorney, Court Service Unit, and the Sheriff's Office. She is also responsible for all City grant funding to nonprofits and functions as the City's lead staff to the Alexandria City Public Schools. Collins previously was the Director of Human Services for the City of Alexandria.

Prior to joining the City, Collins served eight years as Second Deputy Commissioner for the Erie County Department of Social Services in Buffalo, New York. Her other professional experience is in the non-profit sector in the areas of at-risk youth services, homeless re-housing assistance and with the YWCA as director of transitional housing for victims of domestic violence and substance abusers.

Collin's significant accomplishments include consolidating the Departments of Human Services, Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Substance Abuse and the Office on Women into the Department of Community and Human Services, reconstitution of the City Schools Staff Group. In partnership with ACT- creation of the Center for Alexandria's Children (Alexandria's child advocacy center), creation of the Alexandria Council of Human Service Organizations, and creation of Spring for Alexandria.

Collins has an undergraduate degree from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York and a graduate degree from Buffalo State College. Collins is a member of the 2007 Class of Leadership Greater Washington and a 2007 Alumnus of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.

She is currently Secretary of the Board for ACT for Alexandria, Advisory Council Co- Chair for the Center for Alexandria's Children, Chair of the Northern Virginia Human Service Officials Committee of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), and a member of the National League of Cities Human Development Committee. Collins is also a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA), and has received awards from Allies in Prevention, Business First 40 Under Forty, Business and Professional Women's NYS Young Careerist and the National Association of Counties (NACo). 

Deputy City Manager Laura B. Triggs

Laura B. Triggs, CPA, PCC, previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance for the City. She is currently responsible for overseeing several City departments, including Finance, General Services, Legislative Office, Information and Technology Services, and Human Rights. Triggs also serves as the City Liaison to the Registrar of Voters.

Prior to joining the City she served as the Associate Chief Financial Officer for the District of Columbia during the District's financial crisis and as Director of Financial Projects for the District's Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority (also known as the Financial Control Board). Triggs has also worked for the U.S. Government Accountability Office and KPMG LLP, auditing financial, insurance, service, nonprofit, and government institutions.

Triggs graduated cum laude from Southwestern University (Georgetown, Texas) with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, with a minor in Economics. She earned a Master of Management Science with High Distinction in Organizational Behavior and Executive Coaching from The University of Texas at Dallas. Triggs is a member of the International County Managers Association, National Association of Professional Women, Government Finance Officers Association, the International Coach Federation, and is an ICMA Credentialed Manager. She holds an accreditation as a Certified Public Accountant (licensed in Texas) and a Professional Certified Coach. Triggs also serves a volunteer coach for several non-profit organizations and has been a guest lecturer at Harvard University's Business School. 

2019 Department Initiatives & Projects Report

The Department Initiatives and Projects Report contains 1-page departmental briefs of major initiatives, priorities, and/or projects for each City department/agency. The briefings do not detail the complete scope of projects, services, and initiatives undertaken by each department, instead highlight major initiatives during calendar year 2019. The packet was provided to City Council in advance of the Retreat to provide general understanding of department priorities and assist Council in their discussions of department strategic reviews.

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