René Eyerly
SANTA BARBARA — René Eyerly will assume the role of interim assistant city administrator Sept. 25.
Rebeca Bjork, interim city administrator, made the appointment Monday.
“Santa Barbara is a special place, and collaborating with our passionate community is one of the highlights of my career,” Ms. Eyerly said in a news release. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Ms. Bjork, our colleagues, and our community on the exciting and challenging issues facing our City.”
Ms. Eyerly has served the city of Santa Barbara for more than four years. Her most recent title was the acting co-director for the Sustainability and Resilience Department, which encompasses Santa Barbara Clean Energy, climate action, the Solid Waste Utility and Clean SB neighborhood improvement programs.
She formed the Homeless Encampment Response Team and led the pilot program that provides shelter for individuals living in fire-prone encampments.
She came to Santa Barbara after working as the sustainability and compliance manager for the city of San José. She led San José’s Green Vision and $1 billion wastewater master plan.
Ms. Eyerly holds a bachelor’s of science in biology from the University of South Carolina and a master’s of science in public policy and environmental management from Yale University.
“I am very pleased to have René as my interim assistant city administrator while I am in the role of interim city administrator,” Ms. Bjork said. “René has shown great versatility of ability and has great perspective on the issues of the city.”
— Annelise Hanshaw
