City Council Appoints Interim City Manager

Nacogdoches City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission met on January 25h for a Special Joint Meeting to discuss Housing and Zoning with DTJ Designs, the consultants for the Comprehensive and Downtown Master Planning projects. Immediately after the joint meeting, City Council moved to Executive Session to discuss the City Manager search. After discussion, the City Council unanimously voted to appoint Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger as interim City Manager. 

Fire Chief Keith Kipligner has been in public service for over 30 years. He worked for the Nacogdoches Fire Department from 1993 to 2000 as a firefighter, driver and arson investigator. Keith then worked as Fire Marshal and Director of Community Development for the City of Dickinson in Galveston County from 2000 to 2006 where he also served as acting City Manager. He returned to Nacogdoches when hired as the Fire Chief in November of 2006. Keith was named Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2022 due in large part to his leadership during the COVID-19 community shot clinics. Chief Kiplinger and his wife Ashley raised their daughter Katy in Nacogdoches, and she is now a senior at Texas A&M University. Chief Kiplinger is excited about this opportunity to help City staff continue to provide excellent service to the citizens of Nacogdoches. 

Mario Canizares has served as the Nacogdoches City Manager since August of 2020. Mr. Canizares shepherded the City of Nacogdoches through several major changes and initiatives including the COVID-19 pandemic shot clinics, Winter Storm Uri, the NacTogether Comprehensive Master Planning process and raising the level of cooperation between the City of Nacogdoches and partner organizations. 

Mr. Canizares was recently appointed the new Town Manager for Prosper in the North Texas area. His last day with the City of Nacogdoches is February 10th. At that time Chief Kiplinger will assume the responsibility of Interim City Manager for the City of Nacogdoches.

City Council also announced their intent to wait until after the May City Council election to begin the search for the next Nacogdoches City Manager.