City Hires Directors of Transportation & Mobility and Community Vitality Departments

Boulder City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde today announced the promotion of two internal candidates to fill key director vacancies.

Natalie Stiffler will lead Transportation & Mobility, and Cris Jones will be promoted to director of Community Vitality. Both appointments are effective May 29.

Both Stiffler and Jones had been overseeing their respective departments in interim director positions since early last year.

“During their tenure as interim directors, I've been impressed at the leadership both Natalie and Cris have shown in working on high-profile projects with community stakeholders, as well as the strategic vision they've presented for their respective departments,” Rivera-Vandermyde said. “These positions are critical for advancing City Council initiatives as well as providing consistently excellent day-to-day services to our community. I am excited to continue to watch Natalie and Cris grow and serve in these ongoing leadership roles.”

Both Stiffler and Jones have impressive backgrounds that include significant tenure working for the City of Boulder prior to their current employment, followed by formative experience working elsewhere, and then a return to the city organization.

Natalie Stiffler

Stiffler re-joined the city organization in July 2020 as the deputy director of Transportation and Mobility. She was named interim director in May 2022. Her professional experience in transportation planning and leadership prior to that includes employment with Via Mobility Services, the City of Boulder’s then Public Works/Transportation Department, the San Diego Association of Governments, and Lane Transit District in Oregon.

She has a dual master’s degree in Transportation Engineering & City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University as well as a B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of California, San Diego. Stiffler has completed several leadership programs including the six-month Eno’s Transit Senior Executive Leadership Program in 2020.

“I am excited and humbled to continue to guide the dedicated, passionate and highly skilled team that works tirelessly to support our world-class multimodal system and deliver operational excellence,” Stiffler said. “I’m committed to deep listening and engagement with community to ensure that we are meeting Boulder’s expectations, centering safety, and advancing equity in our work.”

Cris Jones

Jones returned to Boulder in December 2018 to serve in the position of deputy director of Community Vitality after working for nearly five years in progressively higher leadership roles within the Transportation Division with Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to his experience in Utah, Jones worked within what was then Boulder’s Public Works/Transportation Department, starting as intern and earning steady promotions up to the position of Transportation Planner II. He was named interim director of Community Vitality in February 2022.

Jones has a B.A. in Environmental Design/Architecture from the University of Colorado Boulder.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue serving the Boulder community and the city organization as the director of Community Vitality. I look forward to advancing the department’s strategic pillars in support of cultural vibrancy, district vitality, and access for all throughout the city and to serve as a steward of the Downtown, University Hill, and Boulder Junction general improvement districts,” Jones said.