Flower Mound Town Council appoints new town manager

The Flower Mound Town Council on Monday unanimously voted to appoint James Childers — a former Flower Mound town employee — as the new town manager.

Childers, the current assistant city manager for the city of Irving, will start his new position on Jan. 3, 2022, according to a news release from the town of Flower Mound.

Childers began his career in local government in 2002 as an administrative intern in the city manager’s office for the city of Denton. His next internship was for the town of Flower Mound, where he was later hired as a human resources generalist. After three years with the town of Flower Mound, Childers worked for the city of Dallas for seven years in various capacities, including as a manager in the Office of Strategic Customer Services and as assistant director of the Code Compliance Department. Childers then worked for the city of Abilene for more than five years, first as the director of community services and then as assistant city manager. He’s been an assistant city manager for Irving since January 2018.

“We are thrilled to welcome James back to the town of Flower Mound, where he had his first full-time job in local government, launching a successful 20-year career,” said Mayor Derek France. “We had 48 applicants for this position from all over the country, and we narrowed that list down to 13 well-qualified semifinalists. We interviewed four impressive candidates. James immediately rose to the top. He is a proven leader, and we were impressed by his breadth of knowledge and extensive background in a variety of municipal government fields, from public works to planning and zoning to quality-of-life services. He’s an excellent communicator and a true professional who I feel confident will lead our town in the right direction.”

Childers has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Midwestern State University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Texas. He has also completed the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ New and Emerging City Managers Roundtable, as well as the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service’s Senior Executive Institute. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association, the Texas City Manager’s Association, and the National Forum of Black Public Administrators.

“I am so excited to be returning to the town of Flower Mound in this role and can’t wait to get started,” Childers said. “One reason I was attracted to the position is the excellent staff, many of whom I have the pleasure of already knowing. I’m a big believer in respecting and leveraging the internal human capital of an organization – and of the diversity of the community at large. I look forward to meeting the residents of Flower Mound and working together to continue ensuring Flower Mound is one of the best places to live in the region, in the state, and in the country.”

Childers will replace Interim Town Manager Debra Wallace, who retires on Oct. 29 after more than eight years with the town. Wallace has been in the interim role since former Town Manager Jimmy Stathatos left the position in 2020.

Until Childers’ first day on Jan. 3, Assistant Town Manager Tommy Dalton will serve as interim town manager.