BUDA — After a nationwide search, Buda City Manager Micah Grau has appointed Lindsey N. Baker, MPA to the role of assistant city manager. Baker will assume her new role with the city of Buda on July 17, overseeing the Communications, Parks and Recreation, Destination Services, Library and Information Technology departments, as well as legislative affairs.

“We are excited to have Lindsey join our team. She has a proven track record when it comes to serving local communities through her time with the city of Denton, where she served as public information officer and helped lead their community’s legislative efforts, to the city of South Lake Tahoe, California where she serves as assistant city manager, overseeing a variety of functions including communications, parks and recreation, human resources and more,” said Grau. “Lindsey will play an important role in our community as she will initially lead a variety of teams here that are core to our community engagement and that impact quality of life.”

Baker holds a Master of Public Administration in public policy, Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and French from the University of Oklahoma and is a certified public communicator from Texas Christian University. According to the news release, she prides herself on being a member of the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA) and upholding the ICMA Code of Ethics every day in both her professional and personal life. She is also a member of the Texas City Management Association, City/County Communications Marketing Association (3CMA), California City Management Foundation and California Association of Public Information Officers.

For the past two years, Baker led the city of South Lake Tahoe, California’s efforts to improve transit and mobility options, oversaw human resources, communications, parks and recreation and government affairs, in addition to serving as the public information officer. She led crisis communications for multiple emergency events, including the 2021 Caldor Fire, which included evacuating the city for the first time in its history, and the historic February/March 2023 Winter Storm. Prior to her work with South Lake Tahoe, she spent 15 years in the Texas public sector, serving as the director of government affairs for the Denton County Transportation Authority and the intergovernmental relations/public information officer for the city of Denton. She began her career as the teen court coordinator for the city of Southlake, Texas.

“Having spent most of my career in Texas, I’m excited to come back to what I consider my home state. It is an honor to join an extraordinary team in serving the community of Buda,” Baker said in the release. “More than anything, I look forward to getting to know the residents, business owners, elected officials and other stakeholders, all of whom form the fabric of this incredible community. And of course, I can’t wait to get out on the trails and dust off my kayak to truly enjoy all of the recreational opportunities the city has to offer in the ‘Outdoor Capital of Texas.’”