TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — City of Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad announced that James Barnes, the city’s general manager of Customer Account Services and director of Customer Operations, has died.

“I am deeply saddened to share that this morning, our friend and colleague James Barnes, General Manager of Customer Account Services and Director of Customer Operations for the City of Tallahassee, passed away following a brief illness,” Goad said. “This profound loss will be greatly felt within our organization and the wider community.”

Goad described Barnes as a leader who brought “exuberant energy, innovation and an unwavering commitment to excellence” and said he was “a profound believer in principle-centered, service leadership.”

Barnes led the city team that handles about 500,000 customer transactions each year, according to Goad. Goad said Barnes helped advance the city’s customer service mission, including a commitment to “Quality First – Every Time, Every Call, Every Contact.”

In recent years, Goad said, Barnes led the rollout of a new CIS system, a new Meter Data Management System, FlexPay utility service and an expansion of the city’s Customer Self-Service portal. Goad said the portal’s “attention to detail and customer-centered approach resulted in the self-service portal achieving one of the highest adoption rates of any self-service portal in the country among utilities.”

Goad said Barnes also focused on internal programs for his team, including online e-learning modules and wellness programs such as Step-up and Walk, as well as developing department leaders and celebrating milestones.

Barnes’ work in call center operations helped the city earn multiple awards from the Florida Municipal Electric Association, including the Building Strong Communities Award, Goad said, and contributed to the city being named the No. 1 public utility in America. Goad said Barnes received the Customer Executive Icon Award in 2022 and was named the association’s 2020 Member of the Year. He also initiated the association’s Executive Roundtable for Customer Operations, served on industry committees and boards, and was a frequent presenter.

Goad said Tallahassee will host the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s Regional Energy Auditors Roundtable in September and has been selected to host a national forum focused on Customer Information System strategy, implementations and innovation in 2027.

Barnes began working for the City of Tallahassee in January 2007 and helped guide the city’s utility customer experience, Goad said. Before joining the city, he worked for USAgencies, Cox Communications and Comcast. Goad said Barnes was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the National Urban League, 100 Black Men and the NAACP.

“A beloved husband, father and grandfather, please keep his wife, Jan, and his entire family in your prayers,” Goad said.