Speakers

José R. Madrigal was appointed city manager of Durango in September 2020. The City Manager is the City’s chief administrative officer who directs and supervises the departments, offices, and agencies of the city government. The manager is responsible for carrying out direction from City Council, the City Charter and bylaws. 

The City Manager is also responsible for development and preparation of the city’s annual budget and capital improvement program, and administers both following adoption by the City Council.

José is a results-oriented, strategic leader with almost two decades of local-government experience. Under José’s leadership, his organizations have been recognized for their transparency, community engagement, innovation, and strong financial standing. In 2013, he was named to the Class of Young Rising Latinos by Latino Leaders Magazine.

Prior to his relocation to Durango, José has served as an interim, deputy, and assistant city manager for the cities of McKinney, Irving and Cedar Park in Texas. José attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas where he earned a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. 

Throughout his career, José has been highly involved in professional development and training. He has completed the Senior Executive Institute Program from the University of Virginia – Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and the Public Executive Institute from the University of Texas at Austin – LBJ School of Public Affairs.

José is a former Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner and has obtained his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He is also an active member of the International City/County Management Association and Colorado City County Management Association.  

José and his wife, Meredith, are proud to call Durango home and can be found enjoying the amazing recreational activities, shopping, and dining locations with their five children (Duncan, Parker, Hannah, Macey, and Julia).

Katherine Barrett, a principal at Barrett and Greene Inc., has done much-praised analysis, research and writing about state and local governments for decades. 

She is a columnist, senior advisor and co-chair of the advisory board for Route Fifty, a special project consultant for the Volcker Alliance, a columnist and advisor for the Government Finance Officers Association, a visiting fellow at the IBM Center for the Business of Government, a senior advisor at the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois in Chicago and a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration. Her website is GREENEBARRETT.COM.