Under the City of Goleta’s form of government, the City Manager is the chief administrative officer and reports directly to the City Council. The City Manager provides leadership and direction by appointing the head of each operating department at the City. The City Manager also oversees day-to-day operations in Goleta.

Robert Nisbet is Goleta's City Manager.  He was hired in September 2022 and brings more than 28 years of professional management experience to his new role, including four years as the City Manager of Half Moon Bay, six previous years as Assistant General Manager for the East Bay Regional Park District, twelve years with the Santa Barbara County General Services Department (including seven years as the Department Director), and seven years as the Public Works Director for the City of Carpinteria. He has a B.S. in Construction Management from Washington State University and an M.A. in Economics from U.C. Santa Barbara, with an emphasis in Public Finance and Urban Economics.

You can contact the City Manager through email at rnisbet@cityofgoleta.org or through phone at (805) 961-7501.

Divisions

The City Manager's Office oversees the Divisions below. Click each one to learn more and visit the Staff Directory to meet the team.