Leadership, Experience Cited
AUBURN, Calif. – Bringing a wealth of leadership, land use planning and budget experience with local government agencies spanning the West Coast, Jane Christenson has joined Placer County’s executive management team as assistant county executive officer.
Christenson will assist CEO Todd Leopold with managing the county executive office, providing direct oversight of procurement, revenue collection and information technology services, among others.
2025 Placer County Fair in Roseville!
“Jane’s extensive experience helping local agencies adapt and thrive in dynamic regions like ours is a great complement to our team and benefit to the county as a whole,” Leopold said. “We couldn’t be happier to welcome her to Placer County.”
She completes Placer’s executive team of six, including Leopold and deputy CEOs Dave Defanti, Jennifer Merchant, Bekki Riggan and Kate Sampson.
“It’s wonderful to return to Northern California,”
Jane Christenson, Placer Assistant CEO
“Placer County is at the cusp of so many exciting opportunities, and with the county’s forward-looking approach to balancing conservation with economic development, we’re in a great position to take advantage of them. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
Christenson arrives at Placer fresh from serving as deputy city administrator for Redmond, Washington, where since 2001 she managed strategic direction and daily operations for the city of 65,000 residents near Seattle. Home, most notably, to Microsoft Corp., Redmond is a major regional job center, with a daytime population of nearly 200,000.
Among her accomplishments there was establishing the Washington Tech Cities Coalition, a partnership formed to advance shared infrastructure, education and investment priorities. She also led successful labor negotiations that set up the city’s employee medical benefits program for long-term fiscal sustainability, and revamped the city’s budgeting process to focus on community priorities and data-driven performance measures.
Prior to her time in Redmond, Christenson held senior positions working in policy analysis, land use planning, community development and project management with the cities of Sacramento, Coronado and Redondo Beach. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University in New York and a Master of Arts degree in public administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Christenson grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, has a college-bound daughter and is settling in Roseville. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family.
2025 Placer County Fair in Roseville!