SEDONA, Ariz. – The city of Sedona promoted both previous city Finance Director Barbara Whitehorn and Communications and Tourism Director Lauren Browne as new deputy city managers after a national search with over 150 interested applicants for the best, most qualified candidates.
Through her over 20 years of experience in municipalities, including those heavily involved in tourism, Whitehorn has demonstrated strength in leading teams, specializing in internal services. She has proven herself to be a public servant who is steadfast with her ethical commitment to stewardship of public dollars.
Whitehorn holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor’s in the history of art from Bryn Mawr College. Her career began in cities in Texas, and continued in Asheville, N.C. where she was Chief Financial Officer and led Finance and Risk Management. Eventually, she took on a broader scope and larger community challenges as the Agency Director of Administrative Services in the city of San Bernardino, Calif. and in 2024, moved to Sedona to lead the city of Sedona’s finance team. Whitehorn currently serves on the national board of the Government Finance Officers Association.
Working for the city of Sedona for nearly 12 years, first as the Citizen Engagement Coordinator, then as the Communications Manager and finally as the Communications Director overseeing the Communications, Tourism
and Economic Initiatives Department, Browne specializes in public outreach, crisis and emergency management and strategizing on complex community issues.
Browne has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in journalism from Northern Arizona University. Prior to her time at the city of Sedona, she has a background in website content strategy and technical writing.
“I am thrilled to take on this new role serving Sedona. As a relative newcomer to the area, I feel fortunate to be able to work in such an active, engaged city. We have an exceptional team of dedicated public servants, and I am honored to have been selected to help lead them,” said Whitehorn.
“I couldn’t be more excited to continue to foster the positive, supportive environment at City Hall where there is a great emphasis on citizen participation and everyone works together for the best interests of the community. I look forward to this next chapter in my career,” said Browne.
“We are incredibly lucky to have the two best candidates in our very own organization. They both bring diverse skillsets that will benefit our community and usher in a new phase of leadership that allows me to be out in the community more while the three deputies work in concert with our staff to carry out our city initiatives,” said City Manager Anette Spickard.
The funding for the promotions came from a vacant deputy city manager position already included in the city budget in 2024. By promoting from within, the city has saved money and restructured the organization. Current Deputy City Manager Andy Dickey will oversee all operations and capital improvement plans for streets, pathways, flood control, wastewater, engineering, transit, traffic and parking. Whitehorn will oversee finance, human resources, and the city clerk and serve as liaison for Municipal Court operations. Browne will oversee tourism, sustainability, arts and culture, economic initiatives and information technology. The Police Department, Community Development Department and communications program will continue to report directly to the City Manager.
Both Whitehorn and Browne began their roles on Aug. 25, 2025.