Oklahoma City Manager Craig Freeman announced today the selection of LaShawn Thompson and Jason Ferbrache as new Assistant City Managers.
The Assistant City Manager position is the second-highest-ranking position in the City.
Thompson is the Municipal Court Administrator, and Ferbrache (pronounced fair brush) is the Director of Public Transportation and Parking (EMBARK). Their official start date is today, June 24. They will continue to lead their departments while filling the Assistant City Manager roles.
“LaShawn and Jason were selected from a highly qualified group of applicants, including many proven leaders within the organization,” City Manager Craig Freeman said. “Together, they bring almost 40 years of City experience and a customer service focus to the City Manager’s Office.”
Thompson and Ferbrache will oversee the City’s 22 departments along with Assistant City Managers Laura Johnson and Aubrey McDermid. Department assignments are as follows:
- Johnson: Finance, Public Works, Utilities, MAPS and the Inclusion and Diversity program.
- McDermid: Parks and Recreation, Planning, Public Information, Development Services and venue contract facilitation.
- Thompson: Airports, General Services, Human Resources, City Clerk, General Services, Municipal Courts and Zoo.
- Ferbrache: Fire, Police, Information Technology and Public Transportation and Parking and law enforcement policy implementation.
The Assistant City Managers report to the City Manager, who oversees day-to-day operations, a staff of 4,989 employees and a budget of $1.8 billion. The City Manager reports to the City Council at the top of Oklahoma City’s Council-Manager form of government.
LaShawn Thompson
Thompson, 51, started her City career as a probation officer in 1999, earning a promotion to chief probation officer in 2001 before being named court administrator in 2015.
“I am grateful and honored to be chosen to serve the City and our community in this capacity,” Thompson said. “I am excited to join the City Manager’s team, and I look forward to continued engagement with City staff, residents, the Mayor and Council to ensure the City continues to remain a world-class city.”
She is most proud of leading the department during the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal disruption to operations while focusing on the safety of customers and employees. Some of her achievements include the construction of the new Municipal Court Building, the implementation of a new court case management system and electronic citations. Thompson led the City’s criminal justice reform efforts, spearheading outreach programs that improved services and transparency in Municipal Court.
Thompson earned her master’s degree in human relations with an emphasis in leadership and organization management from the University of Oklahoma and her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Thompson and her husband, Deputy Fire Chief Harold Thompson, have 4 children and 7 grandchildren.
Jason Ferbrache
Ferbrache, 50, began his City career in 2005 as a management and budget analyst in the Finance Department. He was promoted to deputy budget director in 2007, assistant director of Public Transportation in 2013 and Parking and Public Transportation and Parking Director in 2014.
“It has been an honor to serve the residents of Oklahoma City for the last 16 years, and I look forward to continue serving in my role as Assistant City Manager,” Ferbrache said. “It’s a privilege to support our Mayor, City Council and appointed City Officials. I’m humbled to be part of the City Manager’s team and looking forward to working alongside the incredible group of dedicated municipal government professionals that are our City staff.”
Ferbrache helped grow the Public Transportation and Parking Department from 222 positions to 328 positions while adding new public transit modes and improving EMBARK’s frequency, hours and customer amenities. He oversaw improvements to the City’s parking system including full conversion to electronic parking meters, implementation of mobile parking app and the construction of the convention center garage.
Construction begins on the City’s first Bus Rapid Transit system June 28. He will continue to serve as the interim executive director of the Regional Transpiration Authority of Central Oklahoma (RTA).
Ferbrache graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University with a master’s degree in business administration and a Bachelor of Science.
Ferbrache and his wife, Melissa, have one child, Colby.
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Media Contact:
Kristy Yager
(405) 297-2550
kristy.yager@okc.gov