City Manager

Jesús A. Garza

In April of 2019, Jesús A. Garza was unanimously selected by the City Council to be Victoria’s seventh city manager since the City adopted a Council Manager form of government. He began his tenure as City Manager in May 2019.

Born and raised in Brownsville, TX, Jesús A. Garza most recently served as the City Manager for the City of Kingsville. Prior to his three and a half years in Kingsville, Mr. Garza worked within the City Manager’s Office for the City of San Antonio, served as the first full-time City Administrator for the City of Von Ormy, Texas and worked for the international non-profit organization Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together (MATT Foundation) as Director of Economic Development Initiatives. Prior to all of this, Mr. Garza’s first exposure to the local government came as an intern with the Brownsville Public Utilities Board and later as a graduate intern with the Office of Management and Budget for the City of San Antonio.

Mr. Garza’s education consists of a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master’s in Public Administration in Urban Management from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, along with a Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Texas-San Antonio. Mr. Garza is an alumnus of various leadership development programs, such as the Public Executive Institute via the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas – Austin and the Texas Municipal League (TML) Leadership Academy.  Additionally, Mr. Garza has participated in several leadership programs organized by local Chambers of Commerce in San Antonio and in Kingsville, such as the Alex Briseño (Former San Antonio City Manager) Leadership Development Program and Leadership Kingsville.

Mr. Garza is an active participant in his profession and a member of the following professional associations: Texas City Management Association (TCMA), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN). Mr. Garza also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS).

Mr. Garza and his wife, Shannon, enjoy an active lifestyle that consists of traveling and exploring various ethnic cuisines. In his free time, Mr. Garza can be found in the gym working out, running, or playing in basketball and soccer recreational leagues.