Interim City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly named Senior Engineer Bobby Fouladi as the July City Manager Leadership Award winner.
“Bobby manages a wide range of Capital Improvement Projects from planning and design, through construction, and into ongoing maintenance,” Gallardo-Daly said. “He has a candid nature and is always willing to take on complex challenges. I appreciate his expertise and thank him for his contributions to the betterment of Costa Mesa. He is well deserving of this award, and I am so happy to present it to him.”
Fouladi works closely with multiple city departments and coordinates across teams to deliver. His more recent projects include the City’s Storm Drain Master Plan, several traffic signal modification projects, several building remodels, a utility undergrounding project, block wall reconstruction, and roadway improvement projects—balancing priorities, and managing expectations is part of his daily routine.
Fouladi joined the City of Costa Mesa’s Public Works Department as an Associate Engineer. As a new associate he successfully managed several Capital Improvement Projects, including the Harbor Blvd. Medians Improvements, the Pomona Avenue Street Reconstruction, multiple alley reconstruction projects, and the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter. In 2022, he was promoted to Senior Engineer.
His introduction to the public sector began in 2014 when he was hired as a Senior Engineer for the City of Compton in Los Angeles.
Being one of the oldest cities in Los Angeles, Compton was an introduction to aging infrastructure. development reviews, permitting, and making improvements with a tight budget. With that role, also came the challenges in maintaining both new and old infrastructure.
During college, Fouladi gained experience working at a structural engineering firm. After graduation, he joined a general building contractor in Los Angeles County, working hands-on as field engineer on building job sites throughout California.
Eventually returning to Orange County, Fouladi spent several years in the private sector, working for various engineering firms and a heavy civil and road construction company.
Fouladi’s professional journey began early—while still attending Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach. At one of his very first jobs he worked as a CAD technician designing assembly instructions for an aerospace company’s factory floor.
He received his bachelor’s degree and graduated with honors in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona.