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Board of Directors

Regional Government Services Authority (RGS) is a California Joint Powers Authority (JPA). Under California law, a JPA can be formed by two or more governmental agencies, with the agencies becoming governing members of the JPA.  The members of RGS are the Cities of Dublin, Larkspur, Napa, Soledad and Walnut Creek, the Town of Yountville and Citrus Heights Water District. Each agency’s chief executive officer has a seat on the Board of Directors for RGS. Officers of the Board of Directors are elected once per year from the Board Membership. The Board of Directors appoints individuals to assist the Board in overseeing the operation of the JPA, including an Executive Committee and a Finance Committee.

Headshot of Hilary Straus

Hilary Straus
Board Chair
Citrus Heights Water District, General Manager
Hilary Straus has worked for more than 25 years in local government administration and has served as General Manager for the Citrus Heights Water District since 2016. During his time in the public sector, Hilary has served as a City Administrator and City Manager in two cities in California. Hilary also has the unique experience of having worked with a team to transition the newly-incorporated/start-up City of Citrus Heights into a productive and cost effective municipal service provider.

At Citrus Heights Water, Hilary is working with a team of elected officials, a highly-educated and talented staff and customer volunteers to implement a strategy to replace aging water mains, to replace aging water meters and to build-out the District’s groundwater program.

Hilary began his career in public affairs 30 years ago as a college intern at the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in Atlanta, and he interned while in college for two chambers of commerce in northern California. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California (USC).

In addition to his Water District duties, Hilary serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Local Government (ILG), a non-profit that researches best practices in local government and provides support to cities, counties and special districts. Hilary just celebrated 20 years of marriage to his wife, Lisa, in April 2020, and is a proud papa to son Zachary.

Headshot of Shannon O'Hare

Shannon O’Hare
Board Vce Chair
City of Larkspur, Assistant City Manager
Shannon O’Hare is the Assistant City Manager for the City of Larkspur. She joined Larkspur in 2016 as the Assistant to the City Manager and was promoted to Assistant City Manager in August 2023. In her current role, Shannon oversees the Library and Recreation Departments, Office of the City Clerk, and manages the City’s communications program. She was previously a consultant for local governments working in the communications and technology space.

Shannon graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in Politics and holds a Master’s of Public Policy from Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, she was a Henry J. Raimondo Legislative Fellow and worked for the State of New Jersey Office of Legislative Services.

Headshot of Dan Buckshi

Dan Buckshi
Board Member
City of Walnut Creek, City Manager
Dan Buckshi has been the City Manager of Walnut Creek since August 2017. In his role, he provides overall leadership to the organization, supports the City Council, and oversees the operations and budget of the City. Before joining Walnut Creek, Dan worked at the County of San Luis Obispo for 15 years, the last five as the Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to working in local government, Dan worked in the automotive and technology industries. Dan has an undergraduate degree in business management and a master’s degree in public policy. Dan also serves on the Board of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership and the East Bay Economic Development Alliance. Dan is a member of the International City/County Management Association and is a Credentialed Manager.

Headshot of Liz Habkirk

Liz Habkirk
Board Member
City of Napa, Assistant City Manager
Liz Habkirk serves as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Napa. In her role as Assistant City Manager, Liz has oversight over the Human Resources, Finance and IT, Fire Department and Community Relations division of the City Manager’s Office, as well as other administrative responsibilities including special project management.

Liz has previously served as the Deputy City Manager for Napa where she led a variety of major City initiatives including implementing process improvements, policy updates and ordinance amendments to improve services. She has also been deeply involved in labor management, including negotiating contracts with police management, fire and general employees and most recently, fire officers.

Prior to beginning with the City of Napa in January 2020, Liz was a member of the County of Napa team, where she served in a variety of roles, including Deputy Public Works Director, with oversight of the General Services Division. Her responsibilities included management of 70 staff working in diverse service areas including the Airport, Animal Shelter, Fleet, Property Management, Fairgrounds and Real Estate, and oversight of a combined budget of over $21 million.

Liz has extensive background in public service, including experience spanning across many areas of local government and a proven track record of helping to implement process and policy improvements, bring complex projects to successful completion, and lead staff to innovative solutions.

Liz holds a City and Regional Planning Bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Kansas. She is a member of ICMA and Women Leading Government, and has previously served as a Board member for the Municipal Management Association of Northern California (MMANC). Liz is also active in her community participating on school Finance Committees and serving as a youth sports coach.

Headshot of Megan Hunter

Megan Hunter
Board Member
City of Soledad, City Manager
Megan Hunter was hired as the City Manager for Soledad on May 15, 2023, overseeing a City of approximately 25,000 with major development plans underway including the annexation of approximately 650 acres with build out potential of nearly 2,400 housing units.

Before joining Soledad, Megan assumed the helm of the City of Salinas Community Development Department facilitating economic development, advancing housing production, addressing homelessness, and ensuring equitable growth. Megan guided the development and adoption of three specific plans, economic development and housing elements, and two community plans, receiving an award from the California American Planning Association as the “best public planning agency” in 2020.

Megan also served as the Planning and Development Director in Flint, leading the development of the City’s first Master Plan since 1960, which garnered national attention for its innovative approach in reimagining a shrinking city and resulted in over $300 million in private/public investment. Megan spent 11 years as a planner in Los Angeles with both the Redevelopment Agency and the Department of City Planning working on industrial expansion near the Port, revitalization of San Pedro’s Downtown, a streetscape plan for L.A. Live, and establishment of four historic districts.

Megan has a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.

Headshot of Brad Raulston

Brad Raulston
Board Member
Town of Yountville, Town Manager
Brad Raulston is the Town Manager for Yountville. Yountville is located in the heart of the Napa Valley and is less than one square mile with a population of nearly 3,000. He was appointed Town Manager in June of 2023 and oversees all operations with a total budget of $26.5 million.

Prior to moving to Yountville, Brad worked for National City in San Diego County for 16 years, and as City Manager for the final 4 years. He previously worked in the private sector for several land use and development companies in the San Diego region.

Brad earned a degree in Economics and Political Science from UC Berkeley and holds a Masters of Public Administration from San Diego State University. Brad and his wife Eliza live in Yountville and he is the father of two sons, Cole and Max.

Headshot of Linda Smith

Linda Smith
Board Member
City of Dublin, City Manager
Linda Smith, City Manager for the City of Dublin, has spent more than seventeen years working in local government. She joined the city of Dublin in 2009 as the assistant to the city manager and was promoted to the city’s economic development director and public information officer before becoming the assistant city manager in 2014. In her current role, Linda has direct responsibility for many of the city’s major operational areas, including public works, parks and recreation, community development, economic development, and communications. She had previously worked for the cities of Brentwood and Tracy in the role of economic development.

Prior to working in local government, Linda spent a decade working in the private sector as a communications and marketing executive for emerging technology companies in the Silicon Valley, as well as for companies such as Levi Strauss, Visa, Bank of America and the Clorox Company.

Linda is the 2014 recipient of the MMANC Wes McClure Outstanding Assistant Award and the 2017 recipient of the John H. Nail Award from the League of California Cities. Her involvement also extends into the Dublin community where she resides, as a member of Dublin Rotary and vice president of the Board for Dublin Partners in Education. She graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in public relations and a minor in political science.