DeSoto Hosts Public Meet & Greet for City Manager Candidates

The DeSoto City Council has announced three finalists for the search for a new city manager and is inviting residents to take part in a meet and greet at city hall.

The public meet and greet will take place on Thursday, April 18, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and give residents a chance to meet the final candidates for the city manager position.

“We are excited to welcome our three City Manager finalists to City Hall on Thursday evening and are inviting residents to stop by or tune in so that they can meet them,” said DeSoto Mayor Rachel L. Proctor.

Residents will be able to meet the three candidates face to face as well as view the main proceedings on the city’s website and Facebook page.

The city also has its own app on Roku, a popular streaming platform that allows people who wish to view the proceedings from the comfort of their homes to do so.

Citizens who are unable to attend the meet and greet in person but still have questions will be able to submit questions in advance by clicking on a special link.

DeSoto City Manager Candidates:

Majed Al-Ghafry — An Executive Engineer and educator with 35 years of government and private sector experience. He is presently the Assistant City Manager and Chief Economic Development Officer for the City of Dallas. He previously served as Assistant City Manager of the City of El Cajon, California, and the Director of Public Works for San Antonio, Texas. Al-Ghafry is a Credentialed City Manager and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Texas, Denton, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston.

Cheryl Harrison-Lee – Lee is the CEO of Harrison-Lee Development Consulting Company and has served for 39 years in public administration, including serving as a municipal administrator in Florida and Kansas. She also serves as the Chief Technical Advisor for the City of Kansas City, Missouri Central City Economic Development Sales Tax District. Harrison-Lee holds a graduate degree from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina. She is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program, and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Program. Finally, Harrison-Lee is a Credentialed Manager through the International City Management Association (ICMA) and a Certified Planner through the American Planning Association (APA). 

Joseph L. Lessard — Lessard served in the public sector as City Manager of Ashland, Oregon, Assistant City Manager for Austin, Texas, and Assistant to the City Manager of Dallas, Texas. He also served in the private sector in executive positions in land development and multi-family financial oversight and provided consultant services in intergovernmental relations, economic development, and project management. Lessard holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs with a public finance concentration. He also holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in business administration and political science from Washington State University. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, Congress for the New Urbanism and the International City/County Management Association.

“The person that we select as City Manager will lead DeSoto for several years and guide projects and policies that will shape our city and impact residents for decades to come, so my City Council colleagues and I have worked very closely with our recruitment firm, Government Professional Solutions, to make sure that we were going to pursue the absolute best possible candidates,” said Mayor Proctor.

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