The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners have chosen Ling Becker — an internal candidate — as the next county manager.

The position, roughly equivalent to executive director or chief executive officer, oversees a workforce of more than 4,000 employees and an $814 million budget. The county is both the smallest county geographically and the densest in the state, spanning 170 square miles and 536,000 people.

Becker has been the director of Ramsey County Workforce Solutions and the county’s Workforce Innovation Board.

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners has selected Ling Becker to be the next county manager, it was announced on Aug. 1, 2024. (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners)

Who she is

Becker, who was been employed by the county for nearly six years, previously was executive director of the Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation, a project manager for the Metropolitan Council and self-employed as a fundraising consultant for non-profit organizations. She spent a year in the late 1990s as a process analyst for Accenture. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota-Morris.

Becker will report to the seven-member county board and likely play a key role in hiring at a time of heavy turnover at all levels of county government. The county’s departments range from social services, public works and the suburban library system to the county sheriff and county attorney.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time of sudden record unemployment, Becker worked closely with the city of St. Paul and oversaw nearly $30 million of relief funding invested to support job seekers.

Becker’s “passion, commitment, and clear vision for the future were unmatched throughout the hiring process,” said County Board Chair Trista Martinson, in a written statement. “It was clear to the entire board that Ling is exactly what the county needs in this next chapter to ensure that we are supporting staff and providing the highest quality of services to community.”

Candidates

The county board held interviews Tuesday with four finalists for the county manager position. The candidates, in addition to Becker, included Anthony Alongi, a policy and planning manager with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Nikki Farago, a deputy commissioner of agency culture and relations at the Minnesota Department of Human Services; and Jonathan Sage-Martinson, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Amplio Economic Development Corp. as well as the president/CEO of the Amplio Lending Corp.

Former County Manager Ryan O’Connor stepped down in February to join the Metropolitan Council, the regional planning agency.

Nearly half the county board will soon turn over.

Martinson stepped down on Thursday to take a job with the county and a special election will be held for her seat in February. County Commissioners Victoria Reinhardt and Nicole Frethem are not seeking re-election in November and a flurry of candidates have stepped up for their roles. Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire is on the ballot, running unopposed.

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