Nicolas A. Valcik works as the Director of Effectiveness Analytics for a college based in Texas. Previously he worked for Texas Tech University as the Director of Institutional Research, UT-Permian Basin as the Director of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, Central Washington University as the Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, and the University of Texas at Dallas as the Associate Director for the Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis. He additionally held a faculty appointment for the Program of Public Affairs in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is the editor/author of numerous books and chapters for Routledge/Taylor & Francis.Teodoro J. Benavides serves as a faculty member and the MPA Director for the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences’ Public and Nonprofit Management Program. He previously served as a Senior Vice President for the Waters Consulting Group and served from 1998 to 2004 as City Manager of Dallas, Texas. He was responsible for administering all programs and services for the city’s 1.2 million people, overseeing an annual $1.9 billion municipal budget, and directing a workforce of 13,000 employees. Benavides serves as a member of the City of Glenn Heights, Texas, Economic Development Corporation. He is the co-author of City Planning for the Public Manager (Routledge, 2018), Non-Profit Organizations (Routledge, 2015), and Practical Human Resources Management for Public Managers (Routledge, 2011).

• 1. Introduction 2.Elected Officials and City Managers 3.The City Manager’s Perspective 4.Civic Engagement, Policy and Management through Digital Strategy and Communication Networks 5. Budgeting and Financial Management 6. Human Resources 7. Economic Development, Land Use, and Resilience Impact on Growth Policy 8.E-Government, Privacy, Technology, and Innovation 9. The Sharing Economy: A Disruptive Innovator for City Government 10. Business Stakeholders in Local Government and the Community 11. Local Government Management and Paramedicine 12. Municipal Government Relations 13. School Districts 14. Local Government and Nonprofit Relationships 15. Urban Planning and Affordable Housing 16. Homelessness and Affordable Housing in the Urban Areas 17. Immigration and the American City 18. Green Movement: Environmental Concerns 19. Accountability 20. Strategic Planning and Non-Routine Management Challenges: Homeland Security and Emergency Management, e.g. COVID-19 21. Epilogue: Trends and Current Issues

Nicolas A. Valcik works as the Director of Effectiveness Analytics for a college based in Texas. Previously he worked for Texas Tech University as the Director of Institutional Research, UT-Permian Basin as the Director of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, Central Washington University as the Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, and the University of Texas at Dallas as the Associate Director for the Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis. He additionally held a faculty appointment for the Program of Public Affairs in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is the editor/author of numerous books and chapters for Routledge/Taylor & Francis.Teodoro J. Benavides serves as a faculty member and the MPA Director for the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences’ Public and Nonprofit Management Program. He previously served as a Senior Vice President for the Waters Consulting Group and served from 1998 to 2004 as City Manager of Dallas, Texas. He was responsible for administering all programs and services for the city’s 1.2 million people, overseeing an annual $1.9 billion municipal budget, and directing a workforce of 13,000 employees. Benavides serves as a member of the City of Glenn Heights, Texas, Economic Development Corporation. He is the co-author of City Planning for the Public Manager (Routledge, 2018), Non-Profit Organizations (Routledge, 2015), and Practical Human Resources Management for Public Managers (Routledge, 2011).

• 1. Introduction 2.Elected Officials and City Managers 3.The City Manager’s Perspective 4.Civic Engagement, Policy and Management through Digital Strategy and Communication Networks 5. Budgeting and Financial Management 6. Human Resources 7. Economic Development, Land Use, and Resilience Impact on Growth Policy 8.E-Government, Privacy, Technology, and Innovation 9. The Sharing Economy: A Disruptive Innovator for City Government 10. Business Stakeholders in Local Government and the Community 11. Local Government Management and Paramedicine 12. Municipal Government Relations 13. School Districts 14. Local Government and Nonprofit Relationships 15. Urban Planning and Affordable Housing 16. Homelessness and Affordable Housing in the Urban Areas 17. Immigration and the American City 18. Green Movement: Environmental Concerns 19. Accountability 20. Strategic Planning and Non-Routine Management Challenges: Homeland Security and Emergency Management, e.g. COVID-19 21. Epilogue: Trends and Current Issues