David's Bio

DPD Solutions is a sole proprietorship that I started in early 2022.

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I am a former local government employee with over 30 years of experience in many areas of municipal government. While a trained urban planner (and still passionate about the profession and work), my greatest work in local government relates to solving problems and being part of the solution rather perpetuating the issues!

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I worked my entire professional for the City of Las Cruces, NM until my retirement in November 2020.  My time with Las Cruces was some of the most rewarding and challenging, and I consider myself very fortunate to have the career that I had and to work with some of the best professionals in local government.  However, I realized that I was also too young to be completely retired and determined that DPD Solutions was the next logical step – putting my knowledge and experience in assisting others in areas that I’m passionate about, without going back to direct government work or working for others. 

 

My roles at the City of Las Cruces included Assistant Transportation Planner, Zoning Administrator, Sign Permit Coordinator, Senior Planner, Planning & Neighborhood Services Administrator, and Chief Planning Administrator in the Community Development Department. This work included writing stand-alone policy and planning documents, elements to the Comprehensive (General) Plan, and ordinances for implementing plans and programs. The last two administrator roles included oversight of the City’s federally funded housing programs, primarily CDBG & HOME (more on this later).

 

From there, recognizing opportunities for advancement, I was first named interim and then permanent Community & Cultural Services (now Quality of Life) Department Director. At C&CS, this included oversight of the Libraries, Museum System, Senior Programs, and Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). In my time there, I created the first department-wide Strategic Plan, led the library to update all its internal policies and standard operating procedures, re-organized the City’s four museums, supported Senior Programs services to the communities most vulnerable and needy, and oversaw the launch of several initiatives to increase tourism to Las Cruces through the CVB.

 

From C&CS, I applied for and was named Assistant City Manager in 2016. My first year was spent overseeing the administrative functions within the organization – Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology Departments and staff functions for Internal Audit, Communications, and Constituent Services. In 2017, I served as interim City Manager while the Council selected a new manager. I wrote the Transition Plan for the new City Managers both in late 2017 and mid-2020, while the Council selected their next City Manager.

 

In early 2018, under the then-new City Manager, I transitioned over to overseeing the Operational Departments, which was more in keeping with my background and filled a need within the organization.  This included oversight of the Community Development, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Quality of Life, and Utilities Departments, along with retaining the Communications and Community Engagement functions.  Working with these public-facing departments provided with the greatest rewards to my career as it impacted the greatest number of the public in almost all aspects of their lives and businesses, all the while being fortunate to get to know and work with professionals passionate about public service. While I will joke that I sometimes felt like the organization’s “complaint department,” it really was about helping those in need, crisis, or facing difficulties to find a way forward, while helping the staff and departments remain committed to their core functions and success under the Council’s strategic plans. I truly believe the adage: “If you aren’t part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.”

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I am all about ideas and solutions, thus the name of the company. I completed a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution in July 2023  and offer Conflict Resolution Services to all clients.

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Please check out the individual service pages for more information about all that I can offer. I will also partner with other agencies to best meet your needs. If you have any questions, please look to my Contact & Business Information for outreach.