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Some things that come to mind when I think about Rob Stalzer:

• Committed

• High quality

• Good at operations, also good with the big picture

• Wonderful people skills

• Great at giving others credit

• A role model for his profession

• Doesn’t take himself too seriously

• Integrity

• Courage

Rob does so many things so well, it’s almost embarrassing to start listing them. In fact, I’m sure Rob will be embarrassed when he reads this article about him! One of the characteristics I especially
appreciate in Rob is that he is not willing to be a part of something (project, organization) that isn’t high quality. He’s not too rigid about that, it’s just who he is.

Rob’s ego is in good shape, so he always makes sure to spread the credit around. He doesn’t have to be the center of attention, he’s comfortable with who he is, and he’s so easy to be with that people naturally gravitate toward him.

In Rob’s profession, nothing is more important than integrity, and I’m sure one reason why elected officials have such high regard for him is that he’s just plan honest. Nothing phony, never anything
dishonest about Rob. Another word for that is authentic. He’s the real deal.

There’s something else that makes Rob stand out. Working in local government puts managers right on the front lines of many cross cutting public demands. You never, never expect to please everyone; indeed, that’s not even a useful goal. So these managers are continually having to balance, to bend, to seek win/win or compromised solutions, to facilitate groups in conflict. Because the winds can be so fierce, and because the local government manager can be a ready target for unhappy constituents, most managers don’t stick their necks out too often or too far. Rob’s an exception. He’ll take risks that many of his colleagues wouldn’t, and they usually pay off for the community. The man’s got courage, and I respect him a helluva lot for it.

- Russ Linden

Principal, Russ Linden &Associates

Management Education,
Organizational Learning, and Change

Rob Stalzer said although he began in planning, he knew from almost the beginning that local government management was the field for him.

every day, and I think that’s what always attracted me to that position. I like being held accountable. I like for people on both sides of the equation, the organization and the community [to have] expectations. I like being in that position where you have multiple groups having similar yet in many instances different expectations. I like that. That’s a stimulus for me.”

The experience of getting to work outside a traditional planning director’s scope ultimately helped him when he did get his first job as a local government manager in Herndon. He said he owes a debt to the organizations where he worked prior to Herndon, and in particular his former county administrator in Roanoke, Elmer Hodge. Hodge, who has also served as VLGMA President had just come on the job, and Rob took him aside and shared his dreams of becoming a manager himself one day. “I said, ‘Here’s my goal: I want to be a county administrator, or town or city manager, and [I’ve identified] some opportunities that I see in the county. They don’t fall under the typical