Miami Beach Assistant City Manager Appointed Interim City Manager

Miami Beach, FL – The Miami Beach City Commission voted on Wednesday, April 3 to appoint Assistant City Manager Rickelle Williams to become interim city manager as officials prepare to launch a national search to find a permanent replacement for Alina T. Hudak, who resigned on March 28. Hudak became the first woman to serve in the city’s top administrative job when she was appointed three years ago after serving as an assistant city manager and holding senior leadership positions in Miami-Dade County government for more than three decades.

“I want to thank the Miami Beach City Commission for the recognition and the trust they placed in me, and I particularly want to thank City Manager Hudak for being a great leader and role model,” shared Williams, who was promoted to the role of Assistant City Manager in 2022 after joining the administration two years earlier as director of economic development.

In her role as assistant city manager, Williams’ portfolio of departments included Economic Development, Housing and Community Services, Parking, Planning, Transportation and Mobility, and Tourism and Culture. She has also been responsible for oversight of the City’s two community redevelopment agencies, Miami Beach Convention Center operations, and providing leadership to the City’s partnership with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Prior to joining the city, she also served as executive director at the Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and as the economic development manager with the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust, a county agency devoted to developing and implementing initiatives that promote individual and business success. In addition, Williams has worked as a project development analyst at the Housing Finance Authority of Miami-Dade County and as a capital improvement projects coordinator with the City of Miami Gardens.

“For me, it’s very important that the city have clear leadership on major decisions and initiatives that will be coming up,” noted Hudak, who will stay on in an advisory capacity through the conclusion of her service. “I have complete confidence in Rickelle’s leadership abilities, judgement and her capacity to make informed decisions.”

Since coming to Miami Beach, Williams played key roles in various projects aimed at strengthening the local economy and diversifying the city’s business footprint. She helped bring the North Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to life and administered multiple grant programs to assist local businesses in their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also negotiated multiple public-private partnerships to promote workforce housing, Class A office and cultural facility development.

Last year, Williams was honored with the biennial 40 Under 40 in Economic Development Award, which recognizes rising stars under 40 in the economic development field. Williams holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and graduate certificate in Community Development from Florida International University (FIU) and a Master of Arts (MA) in Mass Communication from the University of Florida. She is active with the Miami-Dade City and County Management Association, is a proud Miami-Dade County resident and enjoys volunteering and spending time with her husband and two children.

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