New Royal Oak City Manager Joe Gacioch comes to the city from neighboring Ferndale, where he served in various capacities for 13 years.

His journey has been an interesting one.

Gacioch grew up in Hamburg Township, a small community northwest of Ann Arbor. Upon graduation from Eastern Michigan University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in hospitality management, he decided he wanted to do something no one in his family had ever done before – move out of Michigan.

He chose Wilmington, North Carolina because he “wanted to live on the ocean” – spending five years there before something deeper called to him.

“As I neared the last three years of my 20s I wanted more meaning,” Gacioch said. “I found city management.”

He moved back to Michigan and enrolled at Wayne State University, where he earned his Master of Public Administration degree (MPA).

After that he contacted Ed Koryzno, who was Ypsilanti’s city manager at the time.

“He gave me an opportunity to serve as a management assistant,” Gacioch said.

He got a few years under his belt there before moving to Ferndale, which, like most communities, was still reeling from the big recession of 2008-09.

“I saw an opportunity to participate from the ground up on government reorganization,” Gacioch said.

Eventually he was named the city’s chief innovation officer, a position that was the first of its kind in Michigan municipal government.

“It’s become a pretty common title now,” he said.

Gacioch’s interest in strategic planning and communications made the position a natural fit for him.

In 2015 he moved up to assistant city manager, and served in that position for four years before making the jump to full-time city manager in 2019. During his time in Ferndale, Gacioch honed his skills in researching and developing new policy. He is also a proponent of building an innovative culture using principles based on authenticity, inclusion, engagement and good data.

When the city manager position opened up in Royal Oak, Gacioch saw another opportunity to broaden his horizons and serve in a community that he had long admired.

“I’ve known them as a partner and as a neighbor,” he said. “I admire everything about the community. It’s a fit for me. I’m always interested in challenges and opportunities.”

Gacioch said that, despite his rural upbringing, he’s always been more interested in serving in dense, urban communities – in part because they offer more of a challenge.

“The nuances and complexities are much greater,” he said.

The chance to serve in Royal Oak came at the right time, in what Gacioch said was a “natural evolution” in his life.

“I’m not getting any younger,” he said with a laugh. “Royal Oak presented more opportunity for growth in strategic thinking, planning and communication.”

Gacioch said that communication, along with organizational leadership and culture building, were important to effective city management. To that end, before he officially started in the position he took a month, in what he called a “really long, drawn-out onboarding” process, and tried to meet with as many department heads in Royal Oak as possible.

He viewed the early meetings as integral to his responsibility as the new city manager.

“My job is to take care of the people who are taking care of the residents,” he said. “The more we can talk to each other the better it will be for me to have a better picture.”

Gacioch’s family share his excitement about serving in Royal Oak. They include his wife, Dani Koel, along with seven-year-old daughter Maya and five-year-old son Llewyn. The kids got their official introduction to Royal Oak when the family attended the holiday opening of the Centennial Commons ice skating rink.

“They loved it,” Gacioch said.

He added that a cool part of serving in municipal government is that he can have “two adopted hometowns”. He and his wife, who works for the University of Michigan as a student services manager with the School of Biomedical Engineering, choose to live in a community that is centrally located between Southern Oakland County and Ann Arbor. So they make it a habit as a family to enjoy what both communities have to offer throughout the year.

“I love exposing my kids to both,” he said.

He also cited the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, and all the activities that happen in the community throughout the year, as another chance for him and his family to get to know the area, and for residents to get to know them.

“Hopefully people can get to know us and open up to us,” he said. “I look forward to seeing everyone.”

Gacioch also didn’t miss a chance to be thankful for this new opportunity to serve.

“Gratitude,” he said when asked how he’s feeling. “I’m really grateful and I don’t take these things for granted. Royal Oak is a diamond in Oakland County. My goal is to just make it shine as best I can.”