At noon Tuesday, I appointed Fred Blackwell as the City Administrator of Oakland, effective and subject to confirmation by the City Council.

As we thank Deanna Santana for her service to the City, we proudly welcome the homegrown Blackwell. I am excited to make this appointment and continue my work with Fred in his new role. Anyone who works with Fred immediately recognizes that his reputation as a brilliant, dedicated, get-it-done leader is well deserved. 

"I am honored and eager to get to work," Blackwell has said. "As an Oakland native, I've seen what this great city can be and I'm excited about this point in my hometown's history. We're experiencing a great rebirth in our economy and seizing opportunities with more success than ever before, and Mayor Quan and I are focused sharply on making sure everyone in Oakland takes part in that success."

Fred has served as Assistant City Administrator since September 2011, when he was brought into the administration to head up economic development efforts. Since then he has been instrumental in creating tremendous economic growth for the city, taking lead roles in resurrecting long-dormant, transformational projects and carrying them to fruition. These include the Oakland Global infrastructure project at the former Oakland Army Base and the Coliseum City development. He arrives in the City Administrator role as a rising star with a sterling, exciting reputation.

The Blackwell family has been long known for their engagement, leadership and important contributions to civil rights issues and strengthening the Oakland community. Blackwell has more than 15 years of experience in nationally-recognized nonprofit and public sector leadership roles. Prior to his position in Oakland, he served as Executive Director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, the Director of the Mayor's Office of Community Development in San Francisco, and the Director for the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connections Initiative in Oakland. The latter was a multi-year, multi-million dollar neighborhood revitalization project to improve outcomes for children and families in East Oakland.