INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM August 8, 2022
TO: Isaac Benton, Council President
FROM: Timothy M. Keller
SUBJECT: title
Appointment of Lawrence Rael, MPA, to the position of Chief Administrative Officer
body
Pursuant to Section 4 (d) of Article 5 of the City Charter, I am submitting for your advice and consent the name of Lawrence Rael for the position of Chief Administrative Officer effective August 16, 2022.
Mr. Rael has served for four years as the Chief Operations Officer, working to ensure efficient and effective delivery of City services across several departments. In 1987, he began working as a Legislative Assistant in Senator Jeff Bingaman’s office in Washington, D.C., focusing on transportation, housing, small businesses, appropriations, public works, economic development, US Border issues, Indian and Hispanic issues, and special projects. Mr. Rael returned to New Mexico in 1990 and worked first as the Assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and then later as the CAO of the City of Albuquerque. Having served under three mayors, Mr. Rael is the longest-serving individual to hold this position.
In 2001, he became the Executive Director of the Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), representing Bernalillo, Valencia, Torrance, and Sandoval Counties in the areas of regional transportation, agriculture, workforce development, employment growth, land-use, water, and economic development.
Lawrence is a lifelong New Mexican. He was born in Santa Fe and raised on a small family farm in the rural town of Sile, New Mexico. He is a graduate of Bernalillo High school and earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of New Mexico. He later earned a master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Finance from UNM.
I ask for your support in appointing this highly qualified individual to the position of Chief Operations Officer