Tommy Gonzalez
Tommy was appointed City Manager of Midland, Texas in July 2023. As City Manager, Mr. Gonzalez leads the 26th largest city in Texas and oversees a budget of approximately $400 million, while leading approximately 1,200 employees. He is a results-oriented strategic leader with approximately three decades of management experience in the public sector.
From June 2013 to June 2023, Mr. Gonzalez served as El Paso City Manager. During that service, he was recognized in 2022, earning the National Malcolm Baldrige Foundation E. David Spong Lifetime Leadership Award. The E. David Spong Lifetime Leadership Award is the highest honor the Baldrige Foundation bestows on an individual. In 2019 and again in 2020, Mr. Gonzalez led his team in earning the Texas Award for Performance Excellence from the Quality Texas Foundation. He also led the city in winning the All-America City (AAC) Award in 2018, 2020, and 2021. Under Mr. Gonzalez’s leadership, the city achieved $267 million in cost savings, grew nonlocal tax revenue by approximately $250 million, eliminated a multi-million-dollar deficit, tripled the fund balance by $126 million, assembled a team that achieved zero audit findings for seven years: all leading to improving the city’s double AA financial rating to AA+.
Mr. Gonzalez received national recognition again in 2019 with the Baldrige Foundation Leadership Excellence Award in the Government sector by the Malcom Baldrige Foundation in Washington, D.C. The national award recognizes role model leaders in their field. Mr. Gonzalez also received the 2019 United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce Border City Leadership Award for his commitment of growing the economy leading to job growth and wage increases, while maintaining healthy public finances through partnerships with Mexican public and private sector entities; making the border region a top trade performer in North America. Mr. Gonzalez serves as chair of the Quality Texas Foundation Board, Gubernatorial Board Member on the State Office of Risk Management, Board Member on Governing Texas Advisory Board, U.S. Global Leadership Texas Advisory Board Member, Member of the Association of the United States Army, and Board Member of the 2026 Communities of Excellence National Board.
Mr. Gonzalez served as City Manager in the City of Irving, Texas from 2006 - 2013. Under his leadership, the City of Irving earned the Texas Award for Performance Excellence from the Texas Quality Foundation. The City of Irving also won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for performance excellence.
Mr. Gonzalez retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after serving 22 years in the U.S. Army. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico. He received the Eastern New Mexico University's Outstanding Alumni Award and the Texas Tech Distinguished Alumni Award. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Texas in Austin.
He is married to his wife Sandy and they have two sons and three dogs.
