City of Davis

Saylor, Don - Mayor Pro Tempore

dsaylor@ci.davis.ca.us

First, the important stuff. Don has been married to Julie for 30 years. They have two children, Aaron (age 23) and Kate (age 21). Don and Julie moved to Davis in 1987.

Don grew up in Wyoming and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1977 with a degree in History and a minor in Regional Planning. After working as a planner in his hometown, he and Julie migrated to Texas where Don earned a graduate degree in public policy at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Community Service

Prior to his election to the Davis City Council in March 2004, Don was elected to the Davis School Board in 1995 and 1999. He served as a trustee for eight years and was Board President in 1998 and 2000. He served as the school district liaison with the city and UC Davis for three years. Prior to his election to the Board, Don helped develop the school building plan as a member of the Davis School District Future Facilities Task Force. During his two terms in office, he helped the district reach its goals of opening Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School, breaking ground on a third junior high school and the Mace Ranch elementary school, remodeling every district school, and expanding the high school (a project which includes a joint-use gymnasium with the city and a performing arts instructional space).

Don is an active volunteer, working to improve Davis for the people who live here. The long list of groups he has worked with includes:

• Yolo County Children's Policy Council
• 8th district legislative advocate for California School Boards Association
• UC Davis Long-Range Development Plan Advisory Committee
• UC Davis/Community Liaison Committee for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse
• Davis Community Network Board of Directors
• City of Davis Youth and Education General Plan Committee
• Friends of the Yolo County Public Library, Davis Branch
• Coordinator for Odyssey of the Mind (now Destination Imagination)

Professional Background

In 2003, Don retired from his career in California state service. During his 24 years with the state, Don worked as a fiscal analyst for the non-partisan Legislative Analyst Office, a construction project director for the Department of Corrections and as an administrator for the California Youth Authority. He managed construction programs valued at $500 million, managed annual budgets of up to $50 million, and supervised staff groups of up to 300.

In his most recent position in the Youth Authority, Don managed education programs in six northern California schools and was honored as Education Administrator of the year for 2003. Other positions Don held in the Youth Authority included Assistant Deputy Director for Administrative Services, Assistant Director for Prevention and Victim Services, Division Chief Health Care Services, and Assistant Director for Strategic Planning and Development.

Prior to beginning his state career, Don worked as a community planner in his hometown of Gillette, Wyoming, an Economic Development Intern in Boston, Massachusetts, and a management information analyst for the Center for the Study of Human Resources at the University of Texas at Austin.