Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – The County of Marin has appointed three Assistant County Executives (ACEs) to lead a new executive structure designed to strengthen coordination across departments and deliver stronger results for the community.
These appointments mark a key milestone in the County’s transition to a County Executive model — an effort to modernize how the organization operates and better address complex, cross-cutting challenges such as housing, homelessness, wildfire prevention, and climate resilience.
The restructuring builds on action taken by the Marin County Board of Supervisors in late 2023 to update a leadership model that had remained largely unchanged for nearly 70 years. Following the appointment of County Executive Derek Johnson in April 2024, the County launched a comprehensive, multiphase effort to design a more integrated and accountable organizational structure to deliver results for Marin County.
Over the following year, the County engaged employees and stakeholders through a steering committee, interviews, and focus groups, and reviewed comparable models across California. In May 2025, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a comprehensive restructuring plan, and implementation has been underway since.
The new model reorganizes County departments into four functional groups, each overseen by an Assistant County Executive.
As part of the reorganization, only one new Assistant County Executive position was created. The remaining positions are being filled through existing vacancies, and Dr. Lisa Warhuus will serve a dual role as Director of Health and Human Services and Assistant County Executive.
Reporting directly to the County Executive, the ACEs are responsible for advancing the County’s strategic priorities, improving operational performance, and ensuring stronger alignment across departments. Each leads a portfolio of departments — spanning finance, people, systems, and operations — while working collaboratively across groups to drive integrated, high-performing service delivery.
“This new structure is about delivering better outcomes for our residents,” Johnson said. “It’s about breaking down silos, improving accountability, and delivering results. We cannot address today’s challenges with yesterday’s approach.
Meet the New Assistant County Executives
Josh Swedberg, Assistant County Executive, (County Operations and Resources Group)
Swedberg joined the County as an analyst supporting the budget development team in 2017, and has served in increasingly complex roles focusing on budget development and management for the Office of the County Executive, eventually becoming the County’s Budget Director in 2023, where he led the County’s budget development, fiscal projections and supported labor negotiations, in addition to managing the County’s budget development team. In November 2025, Swedberg took on the role of Interim Assistant County Executive supporting the organizational transition efforts for the County.
As the Assistant County Executive over the Operations and Resources group, Swedberg provides leadership across the County’s administrative departments, including Human Resources, Information Services & Technology, Elections and County Counsel. In this role, he focuses on strengthening fiscal sustainability, improving business processes, and enhancing customer service and employee relations across the organization.
Chris Zapata, Assistant County Executive, (Community and Environmental Group)
Since June 2021, Zapata has served as City Manager for the City of Sausalito, where he is recognized for his collaborative leadership and focus on stabilizing and improving city services, advancing long-standing projects, and enhancing quality of life for residents. He will continue in this role through May 20.
Zapata has over 35 years of public service, including leading cities in California and Arizona, such as serving as the City Manager of Anaheim in Orange County, San Leandro in the San Francisco Bay Area, and National City in San Diego County. Zapata also served as the deputy city manager of Glendale, Arizona.
In recognition of his public service, Zapata was recently honored as one of 250 individuals nationwide named a Government Champion by the National Academy of Public Administration.
Dr. Lisa Warhuus, Director of Health and Human Services - Assistant County Executive, (Health and Human Services Group)
Dr. Warhuus currently serves as Director of Marin County Health and Human Services and will expand her role as Assistant County Executive for the Health and Human Services Group, taking on broader cross-functional leadership responsibilities across the organization.
Prior to joining Marin County, Dr. Warhuus served as Director of Health, Housing, and Community Services for the City of Berkeley, where she led a $100 million department spanning public health, mental health, housing, and aging services. She was a member of the City’s senior executive team, working closely with the City Manager and elected officials, and played a central role in Berkeley’s COVID-19 response and in launching innovative programs such as a 24/7 non-police crisis response model. Earlier, she led the Center for Healthy Schools and Communities at the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, overseeing school-based health programs across 18 districts and managing a $17 million budget.
With more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Warhuus brings a background spanning city and county leadership, cross-sector partnerships, and hands-on work in schools and communities. She is recognized for her commitment to equity, integrity, and real-world impact in advancing outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.
The recruitment for a fourth Assistant County Executive to lead the Justice and Welfare Group is ongoing and will be announced once finalized.
Same Services, Better Coordination and Results
“This leadership change does not affect the services residents rely on every day,” Johnson said. “County employees will continue their work as usual, with a new structure designed to make it easier for departments to solve problems together, avoid duplication, and deliver on the Board's priorities more efficiently.”
The investment in the new structure-- approximately $2.5 million annually, or less than 1% of the County's overall budget-- is expected to generate long-term value. This includes projected savings through more efficient technology operations, reduced project delays, and improved service outcomes for the community.
While the organization continues to grow under the Board approved restructuring, early benefits are already evident, including:
- Started developing the County’s first strategic plan in more than 25 years
- Launched the FixItMarin app, providing residents in unincorporated Marin a direct way to report non-emergency issues such as potholes, streetlight outages, and damaged signs. Since February 2026, the app has been downloaded nearly 1,900 times and helped resolve more than 550 issues.
- Advanced a community visioning and design process for the new fire station headquarters in San Geronimo
- Secured grant funding to support development of more than 50 affordable housing units at the former Coast Guard housing site in Point Reyes Station
- Launched “Know Your Rights” efforts and helped facilitate a countywide immigration response network to support community members
- Automated workflows within the Community Development Agency, saving an estimated 1,800 to 3,000 staff hours each year
- Improved customer service by converting paper and PDF forms into online, fillable formats, making it faster and easier to apply for services.