Milpitas has a new Public Works Director.
His name is Christian Di Renzo, and he brings with him a wealth of experience…
Di Renzo has served in the public sector for 15 years; 12 of those years have been spent working in management roles in the area of Public Works.
Most recently, Di Renzo – who was born in Rome, Italy – worked for the City of Watsonville as the Public Works & Utilities Director, overseeing a department of about 190 employees. He has also worked in other cities like New York, Beverly Hills, and Benicia.
In Milpitas, the Public Works department affects the lives of residents in countless ways; it provides services like clean and reliable water, trash collection and recycling, and parks and landscape maintenance. The department is also responsible for the maintenance of roads and sidewalks, as well as striping, signage, and signals.
“In the industry, we like to say that if we do our jobs well, then you’d never even notice us,” Di Renzo told The Beat.
Back in September of last year, Tony Ndah left the position of Milpitas Public Works Director to serve as Deputy Administration Officer at Valley Water. Di Renzo officially started his first day as Director on December 12, 2022.
“Christian’s extensive background made him the right choice to assume leadership of our Public Works Department,” said Milpitas City Manager Steve McHarris in a statement.
When asked what his experience has been like so far, Di Renzo said that he was putting a lot of energy into getting up to speed with everything as fast as possible. He feels that the on-boarding process has given him the opportunity to “access where there are needs, set expectations and a tone for the department’s direction, and bring an outside perspective.
“I’m grateful to be afforded the opportunity to serve the community of Milpitas, and look forward to spearheading organizational changes that enhance service delivery, and helping to oversee the completion of many capital improvement projects,” Di Renzo shared.
