Vallejo's two assistant city managers to share acting manager role

In the wake of the departure of Vallejo City Manager Andrew Murray, the city's two assistant city managers will alternate as acting city manager while the city seeks to replace Murray.

In an innovative arrangement, Assistant City Managers Nalungo Conley and Gillian Haen will alternate in the city manager role on a biweekly basis, Haen said on Wednesday.

The city announced last Wednesday that Murray was stepping down after just two years in the position. Murray's last day was Wednesday. He did not attend Tuesday's City Council meeting.

The council estimates that it will appoint an interim city manager within approximately four to six weeks. Haen will have the first rotation as acting city manager, starting Thursday.

"I look forward to helping the city organization and community as a whole through this transition," Haen said. "Transitions like this give us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to strong governance, transparency and community engagement."

"I appreciate the chance to work alongside Assistant City Manager Conley to ensure continuity in service provision to our community and consistency in support to the citizens of Vallejo and city council," Haen said.

Haen has been with the city since 2019. Her first role was as the city's planning and development services director. After just one year and in the height of the pandemic, she was promoted in 2020 to the role of deputy city manager.

In 2021, she became assistant city manager. Among other things, Haen was lead negotiator on the North Mare Island Development Agreement for long-term development of Mare Island and is currently heading up negotiations with the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians regarding a planned small casino operation and office in Vallejo.

Before coming to the city, she was an operations manager at Munselle Civil Engineering Healdsburg, CA from 2017 to 2019 and before that, she was planning and development cirector for Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University at Sacramento.

Conley became the city's other assistant city manager in July 2025.

"I'm so excited. I'm a resident of Vallejo and I love this place," Conley said. "I only moved here in 2020 after growing up in Oakland, but I love how Vallejo is a big little town. It's big enough to offer many of the amenities of a large city, but also small enough where I can watch the Fourth of July parade and see many people I know.

Conley's career spans emergency management and training, grant and capital project oversight, community development, strategic planning, and organizational design.

At the City of Oakland's Office of Emergency Services, she managed critical Homeland Security programs, and as Chief of Staff and Human Development Manager at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Conley holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from New York University and a master's in Public Administration from Golden Gate University.

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