AC Adam Cox
California Public-Sector Executive

Adam Cox

A local-government leader who steadies agencies under pressure and leaves them stronger, healthier, and better run.

General Manager City Manager Chamber CEO Executive Director
Adam Cox, California local-government executive
Currently open to City Manager, County Administrator (CAO/CEO), Assistant or Deputy City Manager, and General Manager, across California and the western United States.
Profile

Effective, ethical local-government management

Adam Cox is Managing Partner of Sectaris Partners, providing interim and contract executive management to California public agencies. Over more than fifteen years in and around local government, he has led disaster recovery, rebuilt distressed administrations, advanced major capital programs, and driven economic development. His approach is straightforward: sound fiscal management, open communication with boards and the public, and strict adherence to the law, even when that creates friction. He aims to leave every agency in stronger, healthier shape than he found it.

Selected Results

A record measured in outcomes

15+
Years in public-sector management and executive leadership
5
Public agencies served as interim and contract executive
$15M+
In grants secured for community disaster recovery
20+
School districts served through developer-fee and permitting reform
Experience

Where he has served

Sectaris Partners LLC
2021 – Present
Managing Partner. Interim and contract executive management for California public agencies navigating fiscal, operational, or leadership transitions. Selected engagements and results:
  • Indian Valley Community Services District. As General Manager, led recovery from the 2021 Dixie Fire: secured more than $15 million in rebuilding grants, led multimillion-dollar settlement negotiations, and conceived and advanced a $20 million mixed-use town center and a new public safety complex, working daily with the developers and contractors rebuilding the community.
  • Chester Public Utility District. Stabilized a chronically underfunded fire department, resolved employee grievances and PERB actions, led two fire-protection parcel tax measures, and negotiated the transfer of fire and ambulance services to the Peninsula Fire Protection District.
  • City of Etna. As Contract City Manager, ran municipal operations including the Police Department, finance, and infrastructure, and led a severe budget and audit recovery.
  • Town of Fort Jones. Stabilized operations, restored administrative functions, and cleared years of deferred state audits and compliance obligations for water, sewer, and transportation.
  • City of Isleton. Served on an emergency contract management team triaging a fiscal crisis for a small city with limited records and significant irregularities.
County of Merced
2017 – 2021
Management Analyst. Administrative and fiscal liaison to Public Works. Helped advance a large capital improvement program, coordinating ADA compliance, facility upgrades, federal consent-decree compliance, real property acquisition, and multi-year capital budgeting.
Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce
2015 – 2017
President and Chief Executive Officer. Directed a regional business advocacy and economic development organization, implementing a new strategic plan and board governance framework.
Builders' Exchange of Merced and Mariposa Counties
2011 – 2015
Executive Director. Led a construction industry association representing contractors and developers, and partnered with the County and the Office of Education to streamline permitting and centralize developer fee collection for more than twenty school districts.
Public Service and Education

Two decades of civic commitment

  • Merced County Mosquito Abatement DistrictBoard of Trustees, 2007 – 2022. Served as the district's lead labor negotiator across multiple contract cycles.
  • Merced City School DistrictBoard of Education, 2009 – 2020.
  • Merced Designated Local AuthorityOversight Board, 2012 – 2017. Wound down the city's former redevelopment agency.
  • Arizona State UniversityMaster of Legal Studies, Contract Law concentration. Expected December 2026.
  • Arizona State UniversityBachelor of Science, Political Science, 2014.
In the News

Coverage of the work

The Plumas Sun

The Plumas News

Archived copies, preserved via the Internet Archive.

Contact

Get in touch

For recruitment inquiries, references, and executive opportunities across California and the western United States.

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