January 5, 2023

The City of Lee’s Summit is pleased to announce the selection of Donna Lake as assistant city manager. Lake begins her position on Feb. 6 where she will support and direct various aspects of the City’s operations and lead the implementation of a number of strategic plan initiatives for the community.

“We are excited to welcome Donna to the City. Her depth of experience implementing successful programs and initiatives will be a tremendous addition to our team as we look to the future of our City,” said City Manager Mark Dunning. “Donna is a highly regarded organizational leader with a passion for public service. I am confident she will serve the City of Lee’s Summit well as we work to advance our strategic goals.”

Lake brings more than 30 years of public sector experience to this role, most recently serving as fire chief for the City of Kansas City, Missouri where she provided executive leadership and administered a $214 million budget. She created the Fire Chief’s Six Areas of Focus to address challenges such as community outreach, workforce development, and equity and inclusion. Lake developed the Community Paramedic Program to meet the healthcare needs of the unhoused and reduce the burden of high utilizers on the emergency response system.

Before becoming fire chief, Lake served in the Kansas City, Missouri City Manager’s Office as assistant city manager overseeing public safety, IT consolidation, and planning and coordination of city-wide events. She previously served as assistant fire chief where she administered a $166 million budget, provided oversight for all internal financial divisions and developed an innovative fleet replacement program that has been adopted by fire departments across the nation.

“I am excited to join the City of Lee’s Summit team and bring my experience and energy to the projects I’ll be working on in this thriving community,” said Lake. “I’ve been honored to serve the residents of Kansas City for more than 30 years and will bring that level of commitment to the residents of Lee’s Summit.”

Lake joins Assistant City Manager Christal Weber and Assistant City Manager Ryan Elam as City Manager Mark Dunning’s executive leadership team.

Lake holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Central Missouri and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas. She is a member of the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration Board, the International City and County Manager’s Association, the International Association of Emergency Managers and the Mid-America Regional Coordinating Council where she serves as co-chair of the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Council. She holds the following certifications: Cornell University Certificate Program in Diversity and Inclusion and Certified Facilitator/Advanced Facilitator from the Mid-America Regional Council. Lake is a Command Level Peer Support Team Member and a licensed EMT.