City of Oakland Appoints Chuck Baker as Assistant City Administrator
Published on December 03, 2025
OAKLAND, CA – The City of Oakland has appointed Chuck Baker as its newest Assistant City Administrator, where he will oversee economic development, workforce development, business attraction, and information technology and innovation. His hire is effective December 20.
Baker previously served as Assistant City Manager for the City of Santa Clara, overseeing Levi’s Stadium, the Santa Clara Convention Center, Discover Santa Clara, and the City’s Information Technology Department. In Santa Clara, he helped negotiate landmark agreements for major events including Super Bowl LX and the FIFA World Cup 2026, strengthened city operations, improved revenue performance, advanced critical capital upgrades, modernized citywide IT systems, and launched innovative new marketing and sponsorship initiatives. He also played a key role in resolving long-standing legal disputes related to Levi’s Stadium operations.
He brings more than twenty years of private-sector experience across technology, entrepreneurship, and multinational corporations. Baker has founded two startups and has been part of two successful exits, giving him firsthand experience in building teams, scaling products, and navigating complex business environments. As a small-business owner, he has managed operations, finance, and growth strategy directly, providing a practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing local enterprises. His corporate background includes senior leadership roles at Microsoft, Wells Fargo, and Procter & Gamble, where he led initiatives in business development, community investment, innovation, and global brand management.
Baker also brings deep Bay Area roots and a strong track record of regional leadership over the past decade. His community involvement includes serving as a Commissioner on the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority, Board Chairman of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, and a Board Trustee of the Home Builders Institute, a national leader in workforce development.
In Oakland, Baker will support a coordinated strategy focused on infrastructure investment, innovation-driven business attraction, modernized information technology, small-business growth, public-private partnerships, and workforce pathways that expand opportunity and strengthen long-term community and economic vitality.
"Our work to deliver for Oakland residents and businesses continues to gain real momentum, and today's announcement marks another important step forward," Mayor Barbara Lee said. "Chuck Baker brings deep leadership experience and a proven track record to our commitment to building an economy with room for everyone - an economy where the people who keep communities running - teachers, healthcare workers, small business owners, artists, technicians - can actually afford to live and thrive here. With Mr. Baker joining us as Assistant City Administrator, we're strengthening our capacity to deliver real improvements and strong services for Oakland's residents and businesses."
Baker said he is honored to serve Oakland in Mayor Lee’s administration and is committed to advancing initiatives that expand opportunity, support local communities, and improve the quality of life for all residents.
Baker joins and strengthens the City Administrator's team of Assistant City Administrators, which also includes Michelle Phillips and Betsy Lake.
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