City Officials

While other people are busy thinking up reasons why it can’t be done, Tom DeSantis is busy getting it done.

Tom serves as Moreno Valley’s City Manager. 

He is an ardent supporter of the oxford comma, Air Force blue, and responsiveness. He’s all about forward momentum, taking our organization to new heights in proactive public service.   

Tom joined Team MoVal in 2011, serving as Human Resources Director and Administrative Services Director before being appointed as Assistant City Manager in 2013. He was named City Manager in 2017.

As City Manager, Tom oversees the daily operations of City government.

In Moreno Valley, that can mean everything from recruiting the next Fortune 500 corporation, to breaking ground on our first outdoor amphitheater, to developing innovative ways to manage the local burro population.

Whatever the task, Tom ensures our residents receive the highest quality services in the most cost efficient manner.

Customer Care reigns supreme. Government can seem like a complex bureaucracy to some. Tom makes sure that our customers see a human face and results, not red tape.

He served our country as a captain in the United States Air Force, both in the United States and overseas.

For the last 28 years, Tom has continued to serve the public in City and County administration, specializing in labor relations and criminal justice.  He knows what it takes to make government work for those it serves.

Outside of work, he has served as a member of the Advisory Board for The Salvation Army’s Moreno Valley Corps, and as a school board president.

He enjoys watching movies – the more explosions the better - home projects, and tinkering with his bright red ’59 Ford pickup.

Tom and his wife, Carely, have been married for 34 years, and are blessed parents of three grown children and a granddaughter, who is already learning the importance of excellent customer care.

Allen Brock has an extensive bolo tie collection. But he isn’t exactly a tie guy.

He prefers to roll up his sleeves and get down to the business of helping run the second-largest City in Riverside County.

You’ll find Allen at the City’s Annual Day of Service, sleeves rolled up, picking up weeds and planting trees. That’s how Allen does his job – by example.

Over the last 28 years, Allen has helped shape communities around Southern California as a building official. He joined our Team five years ago, moving up the ranks to Code Manager and Community Development Director. He was named Moreno Valley’s Assistant City Manager in 2018.

He is a former president of a code council, has a technical mind, and a heart that beats for serving his community.

He has a fondness for 80’s music and Native American art. He prefers Zuni design. He dabbles in amateur photography, motorcycle road racing, and home improvement projects.

His youngest son, Connor, recently went off to college in Minnesota. His eldest son, Cameron, recently graduated from college in Wisconsin.

Newly minted empty-nesters, Allen and his wife, Laura, are on the hunt for the perfect RV, preferably one that also has an affinity for 80s music.

Moreno Valley City Clerk Pat Jacquez-Nares is all about efficiency.

Over the last 20 years, she has gathered public service experience in cities across Southern California.

She began her career in the City of Santa Ana where she worked as a receptionist for the Planning and Building Division for a brief time before being promoted to Senior Deputy Clerk of Council.

Pat also held positions in the City of Westminster, and worked as the City Clerk and Election Official for the Cities of Grand Terrace and La Puente.

Pat’s wealth of knowledge and experience has resulted in overhauling numerous Clerk functions in the City of Moreno Valley, resulting in a more efficient democratic process. In Moreno Valley, she oversees the City Clerk functions as well as the City Council Offices, which provides invaluable support to City Councilmembers.

Pat grew up in El Paso, Texas, where she danced for her mother’s folklorico dance troop.

She enjoys volunteering with non-profit women’s organizations, and watching football.

Don’t bother her when the Oakland Raiders are playing. Wait until halftime. Trust us on this one.

The most interesting man in the world wishes he was as half as interesting as our City Attorney Martin Koczanowicz.

To really know a man, you must be able to spell his name. Many have tried to spell Koczanowicz. Few have succeeded.

A native of Poland, Martin has practiced law since 1987, developing a fondness for providing legal counsel for cities, districts, and governmental entities across California. He has extensive experience in CEQA, eminent domain, environmental law, along with land use and real estate issues.

He is also a trained mediator and volunteered his time as a settlement conference judge.

Martin joined the Moreno Valley team in 2016, providing legal counsel for the City, City Council and Boards and Commissions.

Martin is a gentleman’s gentleman. He knows the laws of the land forward and backwards, but he does not know how to sit down and relax – at least for very long.

Let’s just say his passport has been so many places, it needs a passport.

When they aren’t out exploring the world, Martin and his wife Diana enjoy golfing, playing with their dogs, and flexing their exotic cooking skills.

Maybe it’s her extensive experience working for the military. Or maybe it’s the teacher in her.

Whatever it is, Human Resources Director Kathleen M. Sanchez runs a tight ship, overseeing job recruitments, employee development, paryroll, and benefit services for the City.

Kathleen comes to Moreno Valley via Kentucky, where she was in charge of educating military children across Fort Knox and Fort Campbell. She didn’t just ensure students were well educated; she oversaw the construction of eight schools.

It’s not too often you can design a school with parachutes floating through the atrium. Fort Campbell is home to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division; parachutes are practically a requirement. 

She also oversaw civilian personnel, human resources and payroll at two base hospitals. Her commitment to our military men and women earned her the Department of the Army Civilian Achievement Medal.  

She holds a Bachelor of Science, two Master of Arts, and she is completing her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.

Kathleen has been married to her husband, Richard, a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, for 39 years. They have four children and seven grandchildren, including three granddaughters who Kathleen helps raise and show champion rabbits, hogs and dairy goats through the 4-H program.

Learning the nuances between Holland Lops and Lilacs (they’re rabbits) and figuring out how much to feed a champion hog isn’t easy. But the payoff comes in her granddaughter’s smiles – and delicious bacon.

And who doesn’t love bacon?

Rick Sandzimier is a man of few words.

Just kidding.

It’s impossible to limit yourself to just a few words when you know as much about Planning and Community Development as Rick does.

Rick is our Community Development Department Director. Over the last three decades, he has gathered enough knowledge on building communities – and building them well – to fill the equivalent of 700 football fields.

His experience isn’t just in the private and public sector – it’s leading the private and public sectors across Southern California.

Rick now oversees the City’s Animal Services, Planning Services, Building & Safety and Code & Neighborhood Services.

If Rick looks familiar, there’s a reason why. And it’s not because he won first place in an Air Guitar Competition his senior year at the University of California, Irvine.

Rick is constantly developing fresh ways to involve members of the community in planning THEIR community. And that means being out in the community.

Rick works hard. And he plays hard, spending Saturdays trying to beat his dad on the golf course. He is married with four children, including his son Carter who is following in his dad’s Planning footsteps.

We look forward to more Sandzimier-planned communities.

Mike Lee knows business. And businesses know Mike Lee.

Since 2015, Mike has been bragging to businesses about Moreno Valley like a proud grandma pulling out her stack of wallet-sized photos of her grandkids.

When it comes to Moreno Valley there is a lot to brag about.

Thanks to Mike’s efforts as our Economic Development Director, Fortune 500 and international companies have flocked to Moreno Valley. So have thousands of jobs.

His work isn’t just putting people to work where they live. He’s helping to build the workforce of the future.

And he’s doing it with innovative partnerships between the City, our educational partners, and our business community.

For more than two decades, Mike has been building those relationships, one cup of green tea at a time.

A native of Taiwan, Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning and a Master of Public Administration.

He and his wife Brenda, have two sons, Alex, a freshman at the University of California, Irvine, and Ryan, a high school sophomore.

A self-proclaimed news junkie, Mike often knows what is hot off the presses before the news even gets to the presses. He’s a devoted 80s music fan, an avid art collector, and there are rumors he likes camping on the beach, although we’ve yet to see photographic evidence.

If he does manage to go on vacation, we know he’ll be bragging about Moreno Valley to anyone standing still.

Chief Financial Officer/City Treasurer Marshall Eyerman knows how to make ends meet.

And we’re not just talking about preparing a balanced City budget for the last six years. Marshall put himself through college as a sushi chef, where he learned a thing or two about slicing and dicing.

Since 2016, Marshall has served as our CFO/City Treasurer, ensuring taxpayers are continuing to receive the highest quality services in the most cost-efficient manner. That’s where his slicing and dicing skills have come in handy.

Prior to joining the City of Moreno Valley, Marshall worked as a stockbroker, financial consultant – and of course, as a sushi chef. He also served as Moreno Valley’s Special Districts Project Manager and Budget Officer.

He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s in Business Administration.

There’s more to Marshall than just numbers.

He serves as the Honorary Commander of March Air Reserve Base. He and his wife Theresa enjoy exploring the back-trails of California in their Jeep, country concerts, and training their German shepherd, Rizzo, to be a service dog.

They have four children, Chris, Ashli, Amber and Mikhael, and three grandchildren, Penelope, Charlotte, and Kai.

Moreno Valley Fire Chief Abdul Ahmad has been putting out fires since 1989.

Chief Ahmad joined the fire service as a Firefighter/Paramedic with the Colton Fire Department in 1989. A year later he joined the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department as a Fire Apparatus Engineer.

He was named Moreno Valley’s Fire Marshal in 2003, and was promoted to the City’s Fire Chief in 2012.

While he was scrambling up the ranks, Chief Ahmad was named Moreno Valley’s 2006 Firefighter of the Year.

Chief Ahmad served his country as a proud member of the United States Air Force, where he served as a medic in the emergency department for a designated trauma center, and as a paramedic for ambulance response in San Antonio, Texas.

He has instructed emergency medical workers in Texas, California, and the United Kingdom.

When it comes to treating the injured and the sick, technical proficiency is a must. But for Chief Ahmad, compassion and respect are just as important.

As our Fire Chief, he oversees a complex network of firefighters and paramedics, fire prevention staff, and the City’s Emergency Operations Center. From fire prevention to natural disaster management and recovery, Chief Ahmad has Moreno Valley covered.

He has a vested interest in the City – and keeping it safe. He and his family have called Moreno Valley home since 2001.

When he isn’t putting out fires or training first responders to respond with skill – and heart – he’s enjoying spending time with his grandchildren, freshwater fishing and target shooting.

Parks & Community Services Director Patti Solano is a purist.

At least when it comes to cupcakes.

That’s why she uses a barometer of vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting in her pursuit of the perfect cupcake.

She’s still searching.

That pursuit of perfection is apparent in how Patti manages our Parks & Community Services Department.

A convert from state worker to local government, Patti has spent her 23-year career setting the bar high for every position she has held. She sets the bar high for her employees too – and makes sure they have the skills and the support they need to easily clear the bar and then sets it even higher.

Parks make life better – and Patti makes Parks better.

Patti led her team to five California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) awards in five years. In 2017 she was awarded the national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity for her dedication to providing healthy programs and activities to the community.

Patti doesn’t believe in telling people what they need to be healthy; she listens to what they tell her they need.

A close relationship with community-based and grassroots organizations works. G.R.A.C.E., the successful gang intervention program she co-authored, is a testament to just that. 

A graduate of California State University, San Bernardino, Patti is married to her husband Joe. They have three daughters, a son, one granddaughter, and two big dogs her daughters call Patti’s “replacement children.”

When she’s not searching for the perfect vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, Patti is hitting the open road on spontaneous road trips with the Dave Matthews Band blaring to find restaurants featured in Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

As Moreno Valley’s Acting Chief of Police, Chief Lelevier leads more than 200 officers and civilian employees in the day-to-day operations of watching over our residents, businesses, and visitors over 52 square miles.

Michael Wolfe is not just an engineer. He’s our engineer.

From Principal Civil Engineer to Water Manager and Public Works Director, Michael has had his fair share of titles – and business cards. That’s what happens when you have spent the last 22 years in the public and private sector perfecting the art of engineering.  

His wide-ranging expertise has helped transform the landscapes of the Cities of Orange, Yorba Linda, and Huntington Beach along with the County of Orange and the Port of Long Beach, the second busiest container port in the United States.

Since 2017, Michael has served as Moreno Valley’s Director of Public Works and City Engineer, busy transforming Moreno Valley, one mile of asphalt at a time.

The roads our residents take to work and school are smoother, our City has planted so many trees that we were named a Tree City USA – and more residents are rolling up their sleeves and pitching in to Keep Moreno Valley Beautiful.  This has happened under Michael’s watch.

There is more to Michael than just applied mathematics and designing and building things.

He walked on to the University of Southern California basketball team, where he played guard for Los Angeles’ second-favorite basketball team from 1993-1995. USC didn’t just issue Michael a jersey; he holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering.

He’s set foot in 19 countries - and not on vacation.

Michael is a patriot. He spent eight years protecting our freedoms while a member of the United States Navy. As a commanding officer of the Seabees, he helped strengthen America’s military bases.

Can Do! isn’t just the Seabees motto. It’s Michael’s motto.