A special city council session on Dec. 1, 2025 heard the announcement of Odis Jones as the new Culver City Manager.
After almost two hours of closed session meetings, the City Council members returned to the chambers, and Mayor Dan O’Brien announced that the council had “…unanimously selected Odis Jones as the new City Manager.”
Jones will be the fourth manager for Culver City, succeeding John Nachbar. The first manager, Jerry Fulwood, stayed in the role for almost six years, and was succeeded by Mark Scott, who left after a year. Nachbar has had an unusually long tenure in the position, serving since 2010, and will be retiring from the city this month.
Jones was previously the manager of Missouri City, Texas, from July of 2020 until April of 2021.
From the city, “Nearly 100 applicants were considered for the role. Candidates participated in a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation process, and Odis Jones emerged as the top choice of the City Council.
“Jones brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience across complex local and state governments, including City Manager, CEO, and Executive Director in Texas, Ohio, Michigan, and New Jersey. His career reflects deep expertise in economic development, public finance, organizational leadership, and major infrastructure and redevelopment initiatives. He has managed budgets reaching $1.5 billion, guided communities through emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and major hurricanes, delivered nationally recognized revitalization projects, including Detroit’s streetlight and electric grid reconstruction and Cincinnati’s “The Banks” riverfront development, and attracted billions in private investment that spurred job creation and long-term economic growth. Throughout his career, he has emphasized transparency, equity, community engagement, and collaborative leadership as core principles of his management approach.”
Jones will be formally introduced at the next City Council meeting on Dec. 8, 2025.
Judith Martin-Straw
Editor’s note – This post has been updated with additional information.
