EXPERIENCE
Ms. Hurtado has 29 years of experience working in the local government and nonprofit sectors in California. During her expansive career, she has worked for five municipalities that ranged from small to large, overseeing various operational areas. Additionally, her work for two nonprofit organizations makes her uniquely qualified to assist both our public agency and nonprofit clients.
In the City of Watsonville, Ms. Hurtado served as the Assistant Director of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and Redevelopment and Housing. Ms. Hurtado was instrumental in forming the Neighborhood Services Division including a neighborhood development program and non-traditional recreation programs for high-risk youth.
In the City of San Jose, Ms. Hurtado served as the Deputy Director of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, where she began a Re-Use Strategy for the 40+ community centers. Local nonprofits and other service providers used the centers, following a successful Bond program that required relocation of City staff into other facilities.
In the City of Tracy, she served as the Parks and Recreation Director, Assistant City Manager, and held two separate 6-month interim assignments as their City Manager. She worked collaboratively with the school district to negotiate a joint use and development agreement that ultimately resulted in the construction of a 50-meter competition pool. In the City of Oxnard, Ms. Hurtado was specifically recruited as the Assistant City Manager to oversee the implementation of 121 recommendations from an omnibus organizational assessment that found a plethora of inappropriate practices and activities in the city organization. This wholesale organizational transformation was complex, painful, controversial and, if not immediately addressed, would have put the City in a serious fiscal predicament. Under her steady leadership, she transformed the organizational standards, practices, and overall culture, thus avoiding a potential major fiscal crisis.
Most recently, Ms. Hurtado served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Hayward, where she led a community taskforce to revise the City’s 1992 Anti-discrimination Action Plan. This effort resulted in the adoption of the Commitment for an Inclusive, Equitable and Compassionate Community Action Plan. She also completed a comprehensive assessment of the City’s Human Resources Department, which is guiding their enhanced contribution to the City’s strategic plans.
Ms. Hurtado’s nonprofit experience includes serving as the Co-Director of Defensa de Mujeres, a domestic violence nonprofit agency. She was also the Executive Director of Fenix Services, an alcohol and drug Counseling agency, which included a 15-bed residential treatment program for women. Ms. Hurtado was instrumental in securing funding for the residential treatment center and implemented a Latino-based curriculum, Cara Y Corazon, for the domestic violence prevention program.
Ms. Hurtado is keenly aware of the important roles that public and nonprofit agencies play in maintaining the very fabric of communities. She is equally comfortable assisting small to large agencies in the unique and diverse communities that make up California. She gets immense satisfaction from coaching the next generation of public/nonprofit leaders and implementing talent development initiatives.
RECOGNITIONS AND LEADERSHIP
Ms. Hurtado has served on the Board of Directors of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) representing the West Coast Region. She was Vice President of the Professional Development Committee for the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN) Board of Directors. She is a member of the Municipal Management Association of Northern California (MMANC) and the LGHN. Ms. Hurtado received the 2012 MMANC West McClure Outstanding Assistant Award and the League of California Cities 2018 Assistant City Manager of the year award, in recognition of her professional contributions.
Ms. Hurtado received her Master’s in Social Work from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California in Santa Cruz.