“God has had perfect attendance in my life. No matter what roads I’ve traveled. Through all the positions I’ve had in these 32 years, God has never, ever, ever been absent.”
-Kimberly Bizor Tolbert
For this year’s Women’s Month exclusive cover, I had a chance to chat with Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, the first Black woman to serve as Dallas City Manager. She also holds the distinction of being the only woman leading a top ten city in the United States with a council – manager form of government. Ms. Tolbert shared a lot about her vision for Dallas starting off with her 100-day campaign to become city manager. Her mission on working with her City of Dallas team of 13,000 plus individuals, the importance of family, and how she balances her life with such a hectic schedule.
Amber: Nationally, you are now the sole female City Manager amongst the ten largest cities in the United States with a Council Manger form of government, was Dallas City Manager on your vision board as a student at University of North Texas?
Kimberly Bizor Tolbert: My grandparents challenged me from a very young age to be the change I want to see. So, I have always had a heart for public service and have spent 30+ years in it. I came to this city and focused my attention on doing the work. This role is a full circle moment for me, because I started at the City of Dallas as an intern. But I will say – it’s not about where you start, it’s how you finish.
AP: It could be said that you had a 100-day campaign to win the votes of the Dallas Mayor and City Council members. What was your winning strategy to become Dallas City Manager?
KBT: Throughout my career I have never approached a new job and waited to be told what to do. I’m like the first responder, I run to the problem not away from it. We were already on “borrowed time” and for me that meant we were out of time to regain trust with our residents, and I didn’t have the luxury of delaying major decisions and results. So, I hit the ground running by first listening and then modeling the way through strategic actions to address our deep challenges. I proactively put together an aggressive 100-day plan that I publicly released so I could responsive, accountable, open and honest.
AP: As City Manager, you manage a budget of approximately $4 billion and a City of Dallas team of 13,000+ individuals. How will you leverage your experience in leading a team that is diverse in backgrounds and perspectives?
KBT: As an organization, under my leadership, we are enhancing our customer experience to deliver on our commitment to Service First with the urgency of Now! We have a tremendous team – they are dedicated and every day doing the HEART work. We have created framework for our team to better Connect, Collaborate, and Communicate, to start from a place of yes, and spend 80% of the time on solving the problem. We are seeing the shift in real time; we have broken down silos, we have rebuilt strong, diverse relationships, and we are tying all of this together cohesively. I am proud of what we are accomplishing and looking forward to reaching even higher.
AP: You have described yourself as the right leader at the right time. Why are you the leader Dallas needs now?
KBT: I believe Dallas is poised to become a globally recognized city – with a thriving and inclusive community that sets the standard for excellence through: Innovation Efficient Government and Targeted Economic Growth. As a results-oriented, transformational leader, I am driving our organization to make meaningful, immediate strides towards achieving this vision. I knew I was the right leader because I had spent years laying the foundation and building the relationships with our team and our external stakeholders. People knew who I was, they knew my work ethic, and they knew my dedication to this great City and its potential.
AP: Dallas business and community leaders have used powerful words to describe you. Proactive. Collaborator. Committed. Focused. Responsive. Fair. Some even say you have ‘grit’. What is the one word you would use to describe yourself and why?
KBT: Transformational. I believe in having a vision, listening, working collaboratively and collectively to achieve meaningful change and to have a mindset of continuous improvement. I challenge myself to that every day, and I am excited to lead a team that is inspired and motivated to lead this way too.
AP: As City Manager, what do you look forward to the most?
KBT: What I look forward to the most is working with this incredible Dallas Team to continue the momentum we’ve built over the last ten months – and run up the score to be at the top of the leaderboard, which is where we belong.
AP: Relaxation – how do you take off your city manager hat and simply relax?
KBT: I am an extrovert at work, and introvert at home. I am a deep thinker, and I can go days without watching television! I like to just sit quietly alone, feel the rhythm of my heartbeat and deeply breath. It brings me peace. I also embrace meditation and affirmations to soothe my mind and allow creativity to flow freely.
AP: Laughter – what was the last big gut busting laugh you had?
KBT: My middle sister Wanda Wilson is a tenured educator in Tyler Independent School District (TISD), and I am a product of TISD. Ater the City Council appointed me as City Manager, the TISD Superintendent sent out an email district wide announcing my appointment and mentioned that I was the sister of “Wanda Wilson, 2nd grade rock star teacher at Jack Elementary.” Later that day I received the following text message from my sister saying: “Girl I’m out here in the hallway signing autographs today and taking hugs.” I laughed so hard because I could picture her telling the teachers and students come get my autograph. She is hilarious and is one of my biggest fans!
AP: Family – you speak of your mom and son Josh quite often. How important is your family to you and the role they have played in your accomplishing the position of City Manager?
KBT: My faith and family are my greatest inspirations. I am who I am because of my faith and because my family covers me with prayer, love, and unwavering inspiration. We pray together, laugh together, cry together, and can fill a room with so much energy that it’s contagious to others around us. The foundation that I stand on every day when I walk in City Hall is rooted in my upbringing because at an early age, I learned to have a kind heart, a fierce mind, and a brave spirit. That has carried me throughout my journey!
AP: As a role model for so many Black young girls in Dallas and across the country, what is the Black Girl Magic message you would like to give to them?
KBT: I am a down-home girl who learned the value of hard work at a young age. During my senior year in high school, I worked two jobs so I could help with my college expenses. The advice I would give to Black young girls in Dallas and across the country would be: Do not wait for a handout. Be the one who provides a hand up for someone else. Nothing in life is free. If you want it, go get it, get out of my way, and don’t forget to reach back!
Harrison Blair, President/CEO of the Dallas Black Chamber had this to say about City Manager Tolbert, “We already knew that Kim Bizor Tolbert was going to do a great job. We thought it was a waste of money to hold a national search when we had somebody so talented and was going to do a good job. We were the only organization that showed up when we asked everybody else to come and be a part of a multicultural coalition. But the Black Chamber was here in mass and we made sure that Kim did the work. Kim is the reason Kim’s there. We just need to make sure it got done, right.”
That wraps up my intimate chat with Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. I just want to say ‘thank you’ to our new City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert for taking the time out of her super busy schedule to chat with me. Since we had our chat, I must mention that the quick response actions Ms. Tolbert took in working o save our Dallas downtown landmark, Neiman Marcus. It’s those types of proactive actions and all the other amazing leadership things she does that makes me proud to and at ease knowing she’s running our great city of Dallas!
