Longmont City Manager Harold Dominguez announced today that he has selected Zach Ardis as the City’s next Public Safety Chief. The decision follows a comprehensive recruitment and selection process. It included input from the community and from City staff about the priorities and qualities that the successful candidate would bring to the role, extensive interviews with panels across the organization, and a Q&A forum with community partners in June. Ardis plans to start work at the City on August 30.

Ardis has served the City of Commerce, Ga., as Chief of Police since 2016, and in August 2020 was appointed Executive Director of Policy, Planning, and Public Safety. He has overseen the police department, fire department, planning and zoning, building department, code enforcement, animal control, and city vehicle maintenance shop. Prior to working in Commerce, Ardis advanced through the ranks over a 19-year career with the City of Douglasville Police Department in the greater Atlanta metro area, where he supervised the Criminal Investigations Division, Uniformed Patrol Division, and the Administrative Division.

“I am impressed with the breadth of experience Zach brings to this role, and with his proven track record in bringing communities together from within,” said Dominguez. “He joins the City team with a deep understanding of how to engage with residents and staff alike, and how to build trust by walking the walk. I look forward to seeing the transformational value of Zach’s humble, yet confident, leadership for Longmont.”

One of the strengths Ardis developed during his tenure in the smaller community of Commerce was identifying and connecting with the community as a whole, and challenging the status quo when it didn’t serve community members equitably. His focus on engaging with residents side-by-side to understand their needs and how to best serve are values he intends to make central to his approach in Longmont. Ardis also works as a volunteer firefighter in his community and has completed his Firefighter I certification. He is committed to building internal and external relationships that focus on reliable customer service for all.

“I plan to focus on the critically important issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity that will strengthen our mission to serve the people who live, work, and play in Longmont,” said Ardis. “I am honored to be a part of this amazing community, to take on this new role, and to call Longmont my home.”

Ardis holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University and a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of West Georgia. He is a graduate of the Georgia Command College and the FBI National Academy Session 254. He holds a Certified Public Manager Certificate from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, and memberships with the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the FBI National Academy Association. He is a member of the American Academy of Certified Public Managers and previously served on the Board of Directors for CASA for Douglas County and Lanier Tech Criminal Justice Advisement Panel.