San Mateo Names New Public Works Director

The following is a news release from the city of San Mateo:

After completing a statewide search, the City of San Mateo announces that Brad Underwood, Foster City Public Works Director will cross city-lines to begin the next phase of his career as San Mateo’s Public Works Director.

Underwood will begin his new role with San Mateo on September 29th and brings 30 years of public works experience to the position. Prior to Foster City, Underwood worked for the City of Bakersfield where he served in a variety of roles first as an engineer and then moved in to supervisory and managerial positions including General Services Supervisor and Operations Manager. In 2008 he was promoted to Assistant Public Works Director, which is a position he held for five years before relocating to the Bay Area for new opportunities.

Underwood’s experience provides insight into all areas of Public Works. He brings management experience in both engineering and maintenance and has led high profile capital projects. Underwood brings a strong sense of leadership capability, teambuilding and technical knowledge that will continue to advance San Mateo’s public infrastructure priorities and relationship with the community.

“San Mateo is a larger community with larger staff and offers many challenges in terms of working on bigger infrastructure projects,” says Underwood. “I am excited about working on the capital projects related to the Waste Water Treatment Plant and working with the community to make improvements that will enhance San Mateo’s quality of life.”

Serving at the helm of Foster City’s Public Works Department for the past year and a half has provided Underwood a glimpse of what lies before him in San Mateo. There are many similarities and shared infrastructure between the two communities. Foster City maintains 25% ownership of San Mateo’s Waste Water Treatment Plant and must also address concerns and challenges related to FEMA, the lagoon and levee. Underwood has worked with San Mateo staff on many of these projects and his knowledge offers a smooth transition into the Director position.

“The infrastructure projects are exciting to me and I am looking forward to making the improvements that will serve the San Mateo community for decades to come,” Underwood stated. “I am also excited that San Mateo is a leader in some cutting edge initiatives. The progress that has been made in advancing the green streets and complete streets concepts and creating a bike and pedestrian friendly community has been phenomenal. Working on these projects offers a new experience and I will support efforts to keep the momentum going.”

Teambuilding and mentoring staff is also a rewarding aspect to leading San Mateo’s Public Works Department. Underwood coached high school track while in Bakersfield and enjoyed seeing the progress young runners would make during the season. Encouraging staff and giving them the opportunities to advance in their career is much like coaching. Underwood looks forward to creating an environment that will help staff reach their professional goals.

“Brad’s technical background, leadership ability and focus on relationship building captures several key qualities needed to fill the Director position,” says Larry Patterson, San Mateo City Manager. “San Mateo is fortunate to have someone of his caliber leading the Public Works Department and joining the City’s Executive Team. With all key leadership positions in place, I am excited to see progress made on many Council priorities and delivering exceptional service to the San Mateo community.”

Underwood holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University. He lives in Foster City with his wife and has two grown daughters. He is a native Californian and grew up in Santa Rosa. Underwood is a Giants fan and avid runner.