Kandace Lesley

Mrs. Lesley was appointed City Manager of Lake Dallas on September 1, 2021. As the Chief Administrative and Executive Officer for the City of Lake Dallas, she is responsible for directing the daily operations of the City, its personnel, and reports directly to the City Council.

Kandace began her career in local government in 1992. Along with achieving a Master’s in Public Administration and Bachelor’s in Government and Politics, she serves as a City Manager and has served as an Assistant City Manager and Executive Director for various municipalities. Areas of management include finance, budget, information technology, human resources, library, risk, disaster preparedness and recovery, parks, recreation, streets, water, wastewater, engineering, public information, self-funding and partially self-funding, and community development. A few examples of project experience include: multi-million dollar right-of-way land acquisition for roadway improvements; emergency management coordinator; disaster preparedness planning, hazard mitigation and recovery; negotiating inter-governmental agreements and legal settlements; regionalism (water, wastewater, animal control, library, police and fire); contract management; mediation; city-wide budget; policies and procedures development and implementation (finance controls, procurement, personnel, risk, lability and disaster recovery); capital improvement project planning; vision and mission development; compensation and classification design and implementation; and procurement services development.

Kandace and her wonderful husband David grew up in the DFW Metroplex area. They have been blessed to live in DFW for forty-one and fifty-five years (respectively). Together they share a rich family history, an enthusiasm for animals, enjoy traveling, and have a passion for serving others through ministry, teaching and outreach. Both are excited and dedicated to continue their service to Lake Dallas and its surrounding area through their respective positions.