City Management

Steve Williams, ICMA-CM, MPA, CGFO is the City Manager of the City of Schertz, Texas. Prior to joining the Schertz team, Steve served as the Assistant City Administrator/Chief Financial Officer in the City of Conroe, the Director of Budget & Research for the Town of Flower Mound, and in the City of Dallas as a Sr. Budget Analyst. He attended the University of North Texas, earning Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) degrees.

Steve is a member of and has served in key leadership positions in various professional organizations, as well as within the communities in which he has lived. Such involvement includes the Government Finance Officers Association of the US and Canada (Executive Board Member), GFOA Texas (President), International City/County Management Association, Texas City Management Association (Executive Board Member), Montgomery ISD (Board Member), Conroe Noon Lions Club (President), Leadership Montgomery County (Chairman), Conroe YMCA (Board Member), and Education for Tomorrow Alliance (Board Member). He is also a Certified Black Belt Head Instructor within the American Society of Karate, previously teaching a class through the Conroe Recreation Center to over 1,000 children and adults, and has coached youth basketball, football, and baseball.

On a personal note, Steve is happily married to his wife of 30 years, Carrie, who is a retired elementary school teacher. They have four adult children: Kathryn; Peter; Caleb; and Jordan. Steve and his family enjoy participating in a variety of sports and leisure activities, especially outdoor and fitness-related activities.

Brian James oversees a number of different departments including Economic Development, Engineering, Planning & Development, Internal Services, and Public Works.

James started his career in 1998 as a Planner in McKinney, Texas where he moved his way up to serve as Director of Planning and then Assistant Director of Development Services. He then worked for the City of San Antonio focusing on redevelopment projects. He began working at the City of Schertz in 2012 and currently serves as Deputy City Manager.

James is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He and his wife Erika have two grown children, Jack and Thomas. 

The City of Schertz welcomes Brian C. James as its new Executive Director of Development. In his role, James oversees a number of different departments, including Planning, Inspections, Engineering, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Parks and Recreation and the Capital Improvements Program.

Previous Employment

Previously, James worked for the City of San Antonio for more than two years and held three positions, all dealing with improved development or redevelopment in the city. He gained valuable experience working on a long list of projects for the Alamo City over a nearly 30-month period.

Brian's Statement

"I am very excited about joining the City of Schertz as Executive Director of Development," James said. "Having worked in growing communities in the past, I understand how important it is to maintain the unique sense of place that attracted people to Schertz in the first place. Maintaining all the things that make Schertz so special as the community continues to grow requires planning for the future to ensure that things like roads, parks and services meet the needs of the residential and business communities.

"I really look forward to being part of the team in Schertz that is doing so many great things," James continued. "The fact that the City is working on so many initiatives does mean that it will be a lot of hard work, but that also makes it very rewarding to be part of the success that is to come. I think my backgrounds and experience will allow me to make a positive contribution. Probably the best part about starting a new job in a community is that I will get to spend a lot time meeting new people - residents, business owners and community leaders to find out what they like about the community and what opportunities they see ahead of us."

Career History

James served as a redevelopment officer for the City of San Antonio's Center City Development Office. In that role, he worked to revitalize San Antonio's Eastside by focusing on improving delivery of city services and development of catalytic reinvestment projects.

Before that, he was Assistant Director of the Department of Planning and Community Development for the City of San Antonio. His job included supervising the City's Housing, Community Reinvestment and Policy, Research and Outreach units.

James returned to his hometown to begin his career with the City of San Antonio in December 2009 as the Assistant Director of the Center City Development Office.

Previously, he was Deputy Director of Development Services for the City of McKinney near the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He worked in McKinney from March 1998 to December 2009 and held several positions including Planner, Senior Planner and Director of Planning.

Personal History

James is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. James, a San Antonio Clark High School graduate, earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1992, his Master of Public Administration from UTSA in 1997 and is currently pursuing his Ph. D. at the University of Texas at Dallas. James lives in San Antonio with his wife and two children.

Sarah Gonzalez was hired by the City of Schertz in 2008. She began her employment in the Public Works department and has progressively advanced her career throughout her 16-year tenure she has been with the City. She has served in multiple roles and in 2023 she was promoted to Assistant City Manager. The departments and functions that fall under Gonzalez' purview are: Finance, Library, Parks & Recreation, Public Affairs and Human Resources.

Gonzalez is a member of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers, Texas Municipal League, The Chamber (Schertz-Cibolo-Selma Area), and the Texas City Manager’s Association, where she serves on the Membership Committee for her region. She received the 2018 Leadership Fellow Award from the TML Leadership Academy, is a graduate of 2022 Class of The Chamber Leadership CORE Program, and has completed the William "King" Cole Effective Local Government Series. Gonzalez has also worked to develop the Schertz Emerging Leaders Program, the City’s first employee leadership development initiative. The Emerging Leaders Program was a finalist in the 2024 Texas Municipal League Excellence Awards in the Management Innovations category.

Prior to municipal government, Gonzalez has experience working in the media business in Dallas and in the financial planning field in Austin, before settling into her career with Schertz. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Texas A&M University, Gonzalez received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Business Administration in 2005. An avid runner, Gonzalez has completed multiple half-marathons and the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. Gonzalez is married to her husband Ismael Jr., and they have two daughters. They enjoy spending time with family and following Aggie football, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Dallas Cowboys.