Veteran Municipal Executive Selected to be Pinole’s New City Manager

PINOLE, CA, June 17, 2026 – At last night’s council meeting, the Pinole City Council voted to appoint Naomi Kelly as its next City Manager. A longtime public servant with decades of executive management experience, Kelly will officially assume her duties in July.

Pinole’s new City Manager comes with more than three decades of government experience and more than 20 years as an executive – including nine years as the City Administrator of the City & County of San Francisco, where she became both the first woman and the first African American to serve in that role.

“Naomi Kelly brings exactly the kind of experience Pinole needs right now. She has built a strong reputation for practical, results-oriented leadership, delivering on commitments, and managing resources wisely,” said Mayor Anthony Tave. “Her track record across multiple settings demonstrates what thoughtful planning, community engagement, and sound operations can produce. I’m confident she will serve Pinole well.”

Kelly brings extensive experience managing municipal services and complex public projects, as well as delivering results under complex or constrained conditions, such as tight budgets. She helped build and then managed San Francisco’s $35 billion, 10 year capital plan that strengthened infrastructure investments and secured nearly $4 billion in voter approved bonds for streets, facilities, and earthquake resiliency. She also created a Budget & Planning Team focused on long-term fiscal sustainability, aligning service levels with available resources.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelly was instrumental to San Francisco’s citywide response, leading the charge on logistics and procurement and helping manage the overall operation. As a result, San Francisco was recognized for implementing “one of the most proactive and aggressive COVID-19 pandemic responses in the United States, resulting in one of the lowest death rates among major U.S. metropolitan cities,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

Working in high-touch communities has been central to Kelly’s career. She led community workshops and civic engagement that helped secure a $2 billion investment in the San Francisco Housing Authority, and developed the Lucky Bayview Comprehensive Community Engagement Plan for Save Mart Supermarkets. The latter effort was key to the successful opening of a Lucky’s grocery store in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood – long considered a “food desert” – by focusing on local hiring, local makers, and local artists, and by serving the surrounding community.

 “I am thrilled to join the Pinole community and look forward to working alongside staff, city leaders, and the greater community,” Kelly said. “I strive to be service oriented, with a ‘get-it-done’ approach. I look to balance accountability and opportunity within our municipal team, while we dedicate ourselves to the needs of the people we serve.”

Kelly founded her consulting firm, NK Strategies, in 2021, and has continued to support public facing organizations such as BART with strategic planning, community engagement, operational improvements, and key project milestones.

But, she said, “The public service is where my heart is. That’s why I wanted to come to Pinole.”

A daughter of the Bay Area, Kelly was born in San Francisco, raised in San Mateo and Foster City, and graduated from San Mateo High School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University and juris doctorate from the University of San Francisco, and is a member of the California State Bar.

After years of big city government experience, Kelly explained why she sees Pinole as the perfect fit for her long-term goals.

“I am especially energized by the ability to make a direct impact in a smaller community,” she said, “where less bureaucracy and closer partnerships make it possible to see progress happen quickly and visibly. I believe Pinole is the place where I can bring together all the skills I’ve developed, all that I have learned over a lifetime of service, to really make a positive difference.”

The Council’s decision followed a lengthy recruitment and interview process. Kelly is expected to start on July 1.