Ever since he began his first local government position in 2016, Justin Casanova-Davis has demonstrated his passion for municipal government and public service. He began as an intern on a participatory budgeting initiative in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which encouraged residents to submit ideas for capital projects and ultimately vote to spend taxpayer dollars on the proposals they felt would provide the greatest benefits to the community. When that project ended, he left to become a budget analyst for the Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee, and then returned to Cambridge before assuming his position in Brookline in 2018.

Along the way he completed a graduate certificate in local government leadership and management at Suffolk University, received designation as a Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official, and, while working full time, completed an MPA degree.

On the job, Casanova-Davis can point to many accomplishments. When working for the Ways and Means Committee, he proposed an initiative that

was incorporated and passed in the state budget to combat criminal recidivism. In Cambridge, his work helped earn the city special recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for performance measures, the only municipality in Massachusetts to earn that distinction. When the city launched a “minibond” initiative to sell municipal bonds directly to Cambridge residents, he learned as much as he could about bonds and investing and quickly became the face of the initiative. The project ultimately earned the 2017 “Deal of the Year” Award from The Bond Buyer in the nontraditional financing category. During his time in Brookline, GFOA recognized him with the Goldberg-Miller Public Finance Award for outstanding performance. He began serving as acting finance director in addition to his assistant town administrator duties in August 2021.

His passion and leadership have been demonstrated not only by his work but also by his commitment to recruiting the next generation of leaders. He has participated in many initiatives, speaking on panels, and serving as a mentor to encourage and promote careers in public service. Professional development is extremely important to Casanova-Davis, as he believes you need to invest in the growth and development of your staff. As a supervisor in the Brookline organization, he has supported multiple employees with the opportunity to attend robust municipal finance training and supported an employee’s participation in the MMA-Suffolk certificate in local government leadership and management, which provides graduate-level education in public management.

Considered a rising star in Massachusetts municipal government, Casanova-Davis has been a role model for others. When the Massachusetts Municipal Association created its MassTown Careers advertising campaign, he was one of 12 individuals featured in ads encouraging people to pursue careers in local government. The campaign was developed after the lieutenant governor’s task force identified a skills gap and lack of people prepared to take on municipal jobs in the state.

In July 2022, Casanova-Davis accomplished a professional goal when he was hired as town administrator in Norfolk, Massachusetts. He says his goal is to ensure that municipal government is representationally diverse, inclusive, and as productive as possible. His passion and calling are to create effective change at the local level. To that end, he is working toward becoming an ICMA-CM and seeks to receive a public leadership credential from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Casanova-Davis has been cited for his incredible work ethic, diligence, and hunger to learn and manage new systems and concepts; his dedication to helping people; and his skill at building relationships with residents, supervisors, and staff at all levels of the organization. These demonstrated strengths have earned him the Early Career Leadership Award.