Brenda Pree, the current city clerk for Pittsburgh, was recently hired to be the city clerk for Palm Springs, California.
In the five years Pree served as Pittsburgh’s city clerk, she managed 10 support staff providing administrative and operational services to a nine-member elected body, according to an Aug. 10 news release. Her duties consisted of serving as the official custodian of records of the legislative body, looking over voting records, indexing current and archived records of the City Council in addition to setting public hearings, maintaining the City Council’s calendar, attending council meetings, as well as advertising and posting all public meetings, resolutions, and ordinances.
“Brenda Pree has a wealth of experience as a city clerk and a strong grasp of the rules and regulations that govern municipalities and the importance of open and transparent government,” Palm Springs City Manager, Justin Clifton, said in the release.
Clifton said Palm Springs is excited to have Pree on board.
“Her experience working for a complex municipality such as Pittsburgh will serve her well in Palm Springs,” he said. “We are delighted to welcome her to the executive management team at city hall.”
Pree has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She is also certified as a master municipal clerk and is a certified election registration administrator, according to the release.
Before her time in Pittsburgh, Pree served as a management analyst for the Fairfax County Office of Elections in Fairfax, Virginia, from 2016-2017. She also served as the city clerk for Jackson, Mississippi, from 2009-2014. She also worked for 12 years as a court clerk.
“There’s no greater challenge and there is no greater honor than to be in public service,” Pree said.
Palm Springs officials assert Pree’s best work in Pittsburgh was starting a records management department that spanned the city and digitized more than 125 years of records reaching back to the 1800’s. Those records are ready and available to the public.
Pree also started a pathway for her staff to change job titles from assistants to deputy clerks to provide them with the opportunity to pursue their certification as a municipal clerk, officials said.