Chambana Sun

The Champaign City Council is set to vote on December 3, 2024, regarding the appointment of Joan Walls as the next City Manager. Walls has been serving as Deputy City Manager for the past eleven years and brings over 24 years of experience with the city to this new role. Her career with Champaign began in 2000 when she joined as Assistant to the Chief for Community Services/Public Information Officer in the Police Department. She was later promoted to Deputy City Manager for Community Relations in 2006 and became Deputy City Manager in 2013.

Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen expressed strong support for Walls' appointment, stating, “Our City organization has a long legacy of developing leaders from within. Over her 24 years with our City, Joan’s contributions to the community and our organization have been impressive. She is a servant leader who has shown her heart for this community time and time again. Joan understands the City Council’s vision for our future, and she possesses the creativity and enthusiasm to move our City forward. We have the utmost confidence in Joan’s leadership. I can’t think of anyone who is more highly qualified or better prepared to serve as our next City Manager than Joan Walls, and I will happily support her appointment at Tuesday’s meeting.”

Walls is actively involved with various professional organizations. She is a member of the International City/County Management Association and serves on several boards including the Illinois City/County Management Association (ILCMA) where she chairs its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She also holds roles in other local networks such as Big 10 Cities Network, METCAD 911 Policy Board, Experience Champaign-Urbana, and Champaign County Community Coalition.

Reflecting on her potential new role, Walls stated, “I love this community. It is an honor to be considered by the City Council to serve as Champaign’s next City Manager,” adding that she looks forward to collaborating with city officials and community members.

Walls holds advanced degrees from Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois University in Educational Psychology and Administration of Justice respectively.

If approved by the council, Walls will officially take over as City Manager on December 21, succeeding Dorothy Ann David who plans to retire later this month.