definitely evolved. She has embraced all
the new changes in her life, including a wedding coming up in
September, and seems happier and more fulfilled than ever.
We talked for over an hour in her downtown
Lynchburg office about all the new changes in her life, and the
excitement with which she anticipated serving as VLGMA
President.
IN THE BEGINNING
While Bonnie Svrcek seems to those who
know her as born to be in the profession of local government
management, it did not start that way. Her earliest vocational
goal was to become a nurse. Luckily for the government
management profession, her first semester she developed an
allergic reaction—to organic chemistry.
She explained, “So, I decided I
needed to do something else. But the idea of service was always
something that I had in me, so the more I thought about what I
wanted to do, I focused on service.” She said she also
has some creative skills, and a dull repetitive process
orientated environment would not do. So, she pursued studies in
housing and applied design. This was a course load that
combined studies interior design, architecture, and sociology.
Before she completed her bachelor’s
degree, she got a job working in cooperative education with the
Department of Housing and Urban Development for the federal
government. She liked it so much she extended her college
studies to pursue working there in Washington, DC. She said,
“I worked in the division of policy development and
research. I think that’s where the bug bit me to
eventually work in local government. Because I was doing
research on different housing issues in local
his is a pivotal
year for Bonnie Svrcek. The Lynchburg Deputy City Manager turns
50, she is getting married, and will serve as the Virginia
Local Government Management Association (VLGMA) President. When we asked which of these three will be the most challenging, she laughed and said it definitely will not be the age thing. After all, she said, 50 is the new 40!
Just about everyone we talked to while
working on this profile raved about how perfect Bonnie Svrcek
is for the job of VLGMA President. According to colleagues, she
is Miss Take Charge and Get It Done when it comes to
organizational pursuits. Many remember the ICMA (International
City/County Management Association) Washington, DC conference a
few yeas back when she coordinated the volunteers to make that
meeting a smashing success. She brings to a task like the VLGMA
President a skill set that includes enthusiasm along with many
competencies.
We were so glad that Bonnie, who has been
in Virginia local government since 1985, invited us to one of
our newly discovered favorite cities, Lynchburg. When we
visited a couple of years ago, we fell under this hilly city’s
spell. She graciously included us on her plans to meet and have
lunch with other local government managers in the region, as
well as an invigorating walking tour. The streetscaping that
was an eyesore a couple of years ago, is now a remarkable and
beautifully transformed downtown, with the crowning jewel on
the high hill, the newly restored historic courthouse.
We first met Bonnie many years ago when
she was Blacksburg Assistant Town Manager. She gave us the
impression that she was married to her job. She let her hair
down to close friends and colleagues, but the Bonnie we first
knew was all business. Her personality these days has
