After an extensive recruitment process with more than 50 applicants, the City of Fruita hired Dan Caris to serve as the next Assistant City Manager.

Caris has been Fruita’s planning and development director for the past seven years. In that role he: oversaw and managed the planning, building and code enforcement divisions; was the staff liaison to the Fruita Housing Authority; oversaw economic development initiatives; temporarily oversaw the Engineering Department to manage more than $12 million in capital projects; and led the update to the City of Fruita’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code update.

Prior to that, he worked as a development services manager, business process manager and an operations coordinator.

Caris has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Denver and a bachelor of science in public and business administration from the University of Arizona.

During the recruitment process, four finalists were chosen to interview with the City of Fruita’s leadership team and participate in a public meet-and-greet. During the meet-and-greet, residents, staff, stakeholders and city council members had the opportunity to interact with each finalist and provide input on who they would like to hire.

Caris stood out during the recruitment process because of his passion for serving the Fruita community and his successful implementation of many city projects and initiatives during the past seven years, the city said in a news release.

“I’m truly excited and honored to continue serving this wonderful community. I look forward to working in this new position to help lead and continue implementing the strategies we know are important to Fruita residents,” Caris said.

The assistant city manager reports to the city manager and helps provide leadership, strategic direction and supervision. The assistant city manager will serve as a liaison and partner on city-wide issues, manage and oversee complex projects and policy matters, conduct research and analysis, and assist the day-to-day operations of the organization to fulfill the goals and objectives of the city council. The assistant city manager also supports the day-to-day operations of the organization and the city manager.