Ex-Medford, Somerville Staffer Is New Watertown Deputy City Manager

WATERTOWN, MA — Emily Monea, who has worked in city government in both Somerville and Medford, has been hired as Watertown's deputy city manager, the City of Watertown has announced.

Monea, who will begin her new job on Jan. 17, was hired by Watertown City Manager George Proakis.

"(Monea) brings a breadth of experience on similar issues and opportunities that confront the City of Watertown," Proakis said. "She has a proven track record in local government and values active listening and respectful dialogue."

Since August, Monea has served as the acting chief of staff to Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, supporting the mayor and focusing on areas like human resources, modernization, recruiting, complex employee matters and labor relations, according to Monea.

Monea previously spent eight years working for the City of Somerville. From 2019-21, she was the chief of staff to then-Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

As the chief of staff, Monea said she helped to execute the mayor's legislative and policy agenda, developed strategies for the city council and for community engagement, and aligned financial, legal, HR and operational strategies, including the oversight of the city's $270 million operating budget.

While working for the City of Somerville, Monea also was part of the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and she helped support the transition of current Mayor Katjana Ballantyne.

Monea also has served as the director of SomerStat, the Somerville mayor's office of innovation and analytics, was a managing analyst for the City and was Somerville's community preservation act manager.

Monea has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Boston University, a Master of Arts in Economics from Boston University and a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.