Valdez, AK – The City Council is pleased to announce the selection of John Parsons Douglas as the City of Valdez’s next city manager, effective October 16, 2023. City Council unanimously approved the employment agreement at the October 3 council meeting. Douglas will replace Mark Detter, who resigned in April.
Douglas was born in Durham, North Carolina, and graduated from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Douglas spent two years in the private sector as a planner at BFJ Planning, a private firm based in New York City. He served as Senior Project Manager for the Speaker of the New York City Council in the Land Use Division for six years. He most recently served as Director for Land Use and Topography for the Brooklyn Borough President.
Douglas shared, “Thank you to the City Council for trusting me with this important role for the City of Valdez. I look forward to working with Valdez’s sterling team of civil servants to provide residents, businesses, and community organizations the excellent public services that you have come to expect from the City.” Douglas is a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Douglas has a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.