Geneva City Administrator Announces Retirement

GENEVA, IL — After nine years helming Geneva's government operations, City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins announced her retirement.

Dawkins's retirement will begin effective Aug. 15, Geneva officials announced on Friday. Dawkins plans to spend more time traveling with her husband and enjoying the next chapter of her life.

"It has been a deeply fulfilling experience to contribute to our shared mission of creating a place where people are excited to live, work and play," Dawkins said in a statement. "Working alongside such committed colleagues has been a true honor, and I am grateful for the support, collaboration, and camaraderie we have shared. Over the years, I have witnessed and been a part of significant challenges and achievements within the City. These accomplishments are a testament to the collective dedication of our team."

Dawkins worked for nearly three decades in the public sector, including the last 17 years with the City of Geneva. Before becoming city administrator in 2016, she served as assistant city administrator and director of administrative services for eight years.

Under her leadership, the equalized assessed valuation increased by nearly 52 percent from a 2015 low, leading to a reduced tax levy rate, and General Fund reserves increased from covering less than one month of operations to more than six months, according to a news release.

Dawkins served as the Kane County municipal representative and legislative chair with the Metro West Council of Government, director on the Legacy Project board, and on the Northern Illinois University Master of Public Administration board of advisors. She also taught several courses for NIU's MPA program, including human resource management in public service organizations as well as public administration and law.

Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns lauded Dawkins's contributions to the city government and community.

"As chief administrative officer, Ms. Dawkins demonstrated unwavering professionalism, provided a steady hand to help the City achieve financial strength and business growth, fidelity to processes, elevated relationships with our governing partners, and helped steer Geneva into a new era of potential and promise," Burns said in a statement.

The city will begin recruiting Dawkins's successor this spring. The role involves supervising all department heads, managing the local government's day-to-day operations, and serving as budget officer, overseeing the preparation of annual budgets for City Council's approval.