Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal
There are more leadership changes in store for Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s administration.
With city government veteran Lawrence Rael now filling in as chief administrative officer – Albuquerque’s top appointed job – Keller has named someone to replace Rael as the city’s chief operations officer.
Keller has appointed education official Katarina Sandoval to succeed Rael as COO, a job that works “to ensure efficient and effective delivery of city services across several departments,” according to a city news release.
Sandoval is currently a deputy secretary in the New Mexico Public Education Department and was previously chief academic officer and associate superintendent for Albuquerque Public Schools.
Rael, who has worked in multiple other city administrations, had served as COO since Keller took office in late 2017. He stepped up to the CAO role this spring when Sarita Nair resigned from the post.
But Rael remains CAO on only an interim basis, according to the mayor’s office, and it’s unclear when – or if – he will get the role long-term.
The City Council has confirmation power for the mayor’s CAO pick, and Keller has yet to formally send a nomination to the legislative panel. His spokeswoman did not directly answer a question about whether the mayor intended to nominate Rael for the position.
“Right now we’re focused on getting these new team members on board before taking next steps on the CAO position,” Ava Montoya said in an email. “Lawrence will continue to serve as interim.”
The mayor’s office on Wednesday also announced two new appointees:
• Annie Manriquez will be new deputy chief of staff, replacing Justine Freeman, who left the mayor’s office to be chief impact officer in the city’s Finance & Administrative Services Department. Manriquez was previously New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s senior adviser for cyber and critical infrastructure, according to a city news release
• Bob White will serve as associate chief administrative officer, a newly created position. White is a former Albuquerque city councilor and one-time city attorney.
