The City of Beverly Hills will have a female City Manager for the first time in history when Nancy Hunt-Coffey steps into the position on Jan. 1, 2023. Hunt-Coffey was appointed by a 4-1 vote of the City Council on June 21 and will take the reigns over from George Chavez, who is retiring.
Hunt-Coffey has served as Assistant City Manager since 2019 and in the words of Chavez is “ready” for the new role. In the statement announcing her appointment, Chavez noted, “When I selected her as my Assistant City Manager in 2019, I was confident this day would come. She has been a tremendous partner, colleague and friend.”
Hunt-Coffey was first hired by the city in the position of Assistant Director of Community Services in 2008. She moved up to the Director’s role in 2016, with responsibility for the city’s Recreation and Parks, Library, Human Services and Administrative Support divisions.
Prior to her employment in Beverly Hills, Hunt-Coffey held several positions in the City of Glendale, including Director of the Glendale Library. She also helped develop and lead the Information Technology Department’s eGovernment program.
Hunt-Coffey holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Spanish Literature from Occidental College and a Master’s Degree in Information Studies from UCLA.
In her role as Beverly Hills City Manager, Hunt-Coffey will oversee nine departments, working closely with city staff and the City Council.
“Nancy is a superstar and will be a phenomenal City Manager for our community,” said Mayor Lili Bosse. “She works harder than anyone I know and has earned the trust and respect of this Council, our community and city employees. I cannot think of a better role model to serve as the city’s first female City Manager and Beverly Hills is so lucky to have her.”
In a May 6, 2022 front-page profile in the Courier, Hunt-Coffey described the challenges of keeping the city operational during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also spoke about one of her proudest achievements, the restoration of Beverly Gardens Park.
“It was an honor to be involved in the process of restoring that park to its former grandeur, and the project received a Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy in 2020,” said Hunt-Coffey. “Each block has its own unique design and plant palette and color palette – you have the Cactus Garden, the Palm Garden, the Rose Garden – so it was maybe more complex than it seems.”
Hunt-Coffey has also proven herself as a master of multi-tasking. She and her husband, Jonathan, are parents to Julia 17, a Harvard-Westlake graduate who will enter UCLA in the fall. Their son, Sean, 15, attends Beverly Hills High School. In the Courier profile, Hunt-Coffey cited her late mother, a Spanish teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 33 years, as her inspiration.
“She was a role model and a trailblazer, a working mom balancing it all,” Hunt-Coffey said. “Being a schoolteacher is a stressful job, and she was a very strong person. She taught me about the value of public service, that there’s more to life than just making money. Beyond teaching, she worked with low-income immigrants, new to the country, helping them figure out green cards and acclimate to the United States. She had gang members in her classes. Trying to help those families and kids grow was fulfilling and that was inspirational to me.”
On the promotion to the City Manager’s job, Hunt-Coffey added, “It’s difficult to put into words what an incredible moment this is for me and my family. I have worked in public service for over 30 years and the employees of this city inspire me each and every day with their dedication and commitment to providing world-class service. I am thankful to the Mayor and City Council for the trust they have placed in me, and it will be the honor of my lifetime to serve as City Manager.”
