Mercer Group - Career Resources

Mr. Higginbotham’s distinguished public sector career of over 30 years has included serving as chief executive officer and chief financial officer of cities in Florida and California.  He served as City Manager of Gainesville, Florida, Melbourne Beach, Florida, Surfside, Florida, and Madeira Beach, Florida ranging in population from 3,100 to 123,100 and CFO in Bakersfield, California with a population of 352,400.  Mr. Higginbotham also served eight years as the Director of Economic Development for the eleven (11) county, 7,000 square mile area of the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council. After being recruited by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) on behalf of the Department of Defense, his service to Florida cities was briefly interrupted in late 2007 and early 2008 when he served in Baghdad, Iraq as a member of the United States Provincial Reconstruction Team.  He is an active member of ICMA and the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) and has been recognized by both organizations for over 25 years in the local government management profession.

Mr. Higginbotham’s particular areas of expertise are executive search, organizational development and economic development. In addition to graduating from Tulane University where he earned his Certificate in Accounting, he has completed and instructed training programs at the Emergency Management Institute (FEMA) in Emmitsburg, Maryland in Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Resistant Jobs Training, TRAIN-THE-TRAINER.