Executive Team

Ed Zuercher was appointed City Manager in November 2025, returning to lead the City of Phoenix after previously serving in the same role from 2013 to 2021. Prior to his initial appointment, he held several key leadership positions including Assistant City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and Public Transit Director. He began his career with the city in 1993 as a management intern.

Zuercher is widely recognized for his steady leadership, deep institutional knowledge, and commitment to public service. His leadership helped guide the city through the economic recovery following the Great Recession and through the COVID-19 pandemic without layoffs or service cuts, turning a $37 million budget deficit in 2013 into a $30 million surplus by 2021. He also advanced community priorities including police reform, affordable housing, and heat mitigation.

Zuercher holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a Secondary Education certification from Goshen College and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas.

Lori Bays was named Assistant City Manager in October 2021, after serving as Phoenix’s Chief Human Resources Officer for four years.

Bays' background includes nearly 25 years of both public and private sectors work, including executive leadership roles at city, county, and state levels. Prior to her role with the city of Phoenix, Bays oversaw all county operations and a $1.3 billion operating budget as the Chief Administrative Officer for Salt Lake County. She has also held Health and Human Services leadership roles with San Diego County and the State of Utah.  

Bays holds a master's degree in Clinical Psychology and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Azusa Pacific University. 

On December 1, 2025, Ginger Spencer was named Assistant CIty Manager. Previously, she was named Deputy City Manager in May 2021. Prior to that she served as director of the city's Public Works Department since 2017.

During her 23 years of service with the City of Phoenix, Ginger has served in various leadership positions including Assistant Public Works Director, Deputy Public Works Director, Family Advocacy Center Director, Arts and Culture Administrator, and Special Assistant to the City Manager. She serves on the board of directors for Phoenix Community Development & Investment Corporation, Arizona Science Center and the Arizona City/County Management Association. A native of Phoenix, Ginger holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Arizona State University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

In 2013, she was named by The Phoenix Business Journal as one of the “40 under 40" Top Business Leaders in Phoenix and was also named by the Engaging Local Government Leaders in 2018 as a Traeger 100 Top Influencer in Government. In 2021, Ginger was recognized by the American Public Works Association as one of the Top 10 Public Works Leaders in the nation.

Gina Montes is the Deputy City Manager for the City of Phoenix currently overseeing the Office of Homeless Solutions and the Housing and Human Services Departments. Gina has served in local government for 27 years and prior to re-joining Phoenix served as Assistant City Manager for the City of Avondale, Arizona, overseeing a diverse range​ of city services including police, fire, public works and finance.  She began her local government career at the City of Phoenix as an internal auditor and was promoted to a variety of positions including deputy city auditor and deputy director of the Human Services Department before being named founding director of Avondale’s Neighborhood and Family Services Department. She is active statewide having served as president of the Arizona City/County Management Association.  Gina holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Christian University and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, the University of Texas at Austin. ​

Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton announced the appointment of Amber Williamson as Deputy City Manager, effective July 21, 2025.

Williamson brings 25 years of service with the City of Phoenix, beginning her career in 2000 as an Administrative Assistant in the Retirement Office. Most recently, she served as Director of the Budget and Research Department, a role she’s held since August 2020. Her tenure has been marked by a strong commitment to public service, fiscal responsibility, and transparent governance.

Throughout her career, Williamson has held several positions including Budget Analyst and Management Assistant. Under her direction, the Budget and Research Department supported citywide efforts through accurate expenditure forecasting, detailed fiscal analysis, and comprehensive budget planning.

Williamson holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Finance, both from Arizona State University.

Alan Stephenson has been with the City for 21 years and has served as the Planning and Development Director from 2013 until January 2022. During his time with the City, Alan has held various positions within the department having first started as an intern at the public zoning counter. Alan is very respected within the planning and development community and has held several board positions including North-Central Section Director, Vice-President of Legislative Affairs and President with the Arizona Chapter of the American Planning Association. Alan has also been involved helping to craft multiple pieces of legislation at the Arizona State Legislature on bills dealing with impact fees, short-term rental impacts, citizen participation, development process improvement legislation and multiple planning/growing smarter types of legislation over the years.

During his Career he has been fortunate enough to work on and lead several significant projects for the City, such as Edge Treatment Design Guidelines around the Sonoran Preserve, Reinvent Phoenix Transit Oriented Development Plans, Walkable Urban Code and the adoption of the City's General Plan by the City Council and approved by 76% of the voters in 2015. During the last 5 years while Director, the department has overseen almost $25 billion in private investment that continues to make Phoenix a great city. 

Prior to joining the City, Alan worked for a local non-profit on children's issues. Alan is a native of Phoenix and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Valley Partnership. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Environmental Planning from Arizona State University.​

David Mathews was named Deputy City Manager for the City of Phoenix in April 2025.

David has devoted his career to building meaningful partnerships and establishing personal trust with employees, employee groups, and organizations. He began his career with the City of Phoenix in 2014 as a Human Resources Supervisor, overseeing the Human Resources Safety division before being promoted to Deputy Human Resources Director in 2017. He then served as Assistant Human Resources Director, overseeing the Benefits and Wellness, Safety and Workers’ Compensation, and Management Services divisions. David became the Human Resources Director in 2021, where he played a leadership role in managing the COVID-19 pandemic by providing Citywide resources and guidance.

David’s interpersonal skills, ingenuity, and vision enable him to support the City of Phoenix’s mission and goals.