Tucson Becomes First Southwestern City to Join National Push to Modernize Government Hiring
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@workforamerica.org, adam.sarvana@tucsonaz.gov
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
As federal workforce cuts reshape public service, Mayor Regina Romero and the City of Tucson partner with Work for America to attract displaced talent, modernize hiring, and build the workforce Tucson needs
TUCSON, AZ — Mayor Regina Romero announced today that Tucson has become the first Southwestern city to join Work for America's (WFA) “Spotlight City” initiative, a growing national movement to modernize how local governments attract and hire top talent.
“Tucson is growing, and our residents deserve a city government that can keep up — on affordable housing, water security, climate resilience, and beyond,” said Regina Romero, Mayor of Tucson.“Through our partnership with Work for America, we're helping people to find their way into public service right here in Tucson, where that work has never mattered more.”
Through the Spotlight City initiative, Tucson will collaborate with WFA to improve how the city recruits and hires employees, identify and fill urgent vacancies across departments, and develop new marketing strategies to better showcase the value of working in local government. The City of Tucson's participation sets an example for other municipalities across Arizona and the Southwest that are working to rebuild their public sector workforce.
The partnership builds on Tucson's broader efforts to strengthen its workforce at a time when municipalities nationwide are competing for talent. As the region experiences rapid population growth and increasing pressure on climate and water systems, recruiting experienced professionals has become an essential priority.
“Cities are being asked to do more with less — and in that environment, having the right people in the right roles isn't just an HR priority, it's how you deliver for residents,” said Caitlin Lewis, Executive Director of Work for America.“Tucson understands that. Their commitment to rethinking how they recruit and hire is exactly the kind of leadership this moment demands, and we're proud to welcome them into the Spotlight City cohort.”
Tucson's Spotlight City designation builds on the City's early participation on Civic Match, WFA’s AI-enabled talent matching platform connecting displaced federal workers with critical roles in state and local governments. Civic Match currently supports over 13,500 job seekers, connecting them with governments across 279 cities, 61 counties, and 49 states. Tucson joins Allentown, PA, Akron, OH, Chattanooga, TN, and Kansas City, MO as part of the growing Spotlight City cohort.
The initiative is already yielding results in Tucson. Nathan Karrel, a former USAID contractor displaced by federal workforce cuts, found his way to Tucson through Civic Match. He relocated from Washington, D.C., joined the City as an HR Analyst, and is now using the same platform to recruit other mission-driven professionals into city government.
“After the federal cuts, I was looking for a meaningful way to continue my public service,” said Nathan Karrel, HR Analyst at the City of Tucson. “Work for America’s Civic Match platform opened the door to continue my work at the local level. Moving to Tucson and working for the City has been incredibly rewarding, and now I get to help bring other talented public servants into roles where they can make a real difference.”
Karrel is one example of a larger shift. Tucson is actively competing to attract the wave of experienced public servants displaced by federal cuts, redirecting that talent toward the city's most pressing needs.
Central to the partnership is helping Tucson define its Employee Value Proposition (EVP) — the authentic story of what makes working for the City worth choosing — and turning that story into practical hiring tools departments can use immediately.
As part of the Spotlight City program, Tucson will receive hands-on support from WFA, including:
An immersive workshop with Tucson city employees to surface what makes working here distinct, producing a formal EVP and employer brand materials ready to deploy across job postings, onboarding, and recruitment outreach;
Customized recruitment strategies to help departments fill critical roles more quickly and effectively.
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Photos and b-roll are available here.
Please credit “Work for America/Meghan Leigh” when using visuals.
About Work for America
Work for America (WFA) is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to solve the government staffing crisis by helping state and local governments recruit, hire, and inspire the people they need to deliver for their communities. From launching Civic Match, a national platform connecting mission-driven talent with government jobs, to helping public sector teams bolster recruitment and hiring with practical, repeatable tools through Talent Accelerator workshops, Work for America is making public service work better for the people it serves, and the people who serve. WFA’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TIME for its innovative approach to rebuilding the public workforce. Learn more here.
