Ramzi Awwad, the Public Works director for Rancho Palos Verdes, will leave that city to take the same post in Manhattan Beach, officials for the latter town announced this week.
After six years with Rancho Palos Verdes, which has faced unprecedented land movement that has substantially impacted the city’s infrastructure, Awwad will bring his more than two decades of pubic works and engineering experience to Manhattan Beach. His first day was Monday.
Awwad said he’s “really excited to contribute to this community, to get to know the community better, and work together with a variety of partners.”
“It will take me some time to learn the community and some of the nuances of the community,” Awwad added in a Tuesday, July 14, interview. “I have some ideas from my visits here, but it’s important for me to learn the nuances of the community, the policies and goals of the City Council.”
Awwad will oversee Manhattan Beach’s Public Works Department, which deals with city issues related to engineering, streets, utilities and facilities, and manages the capital improvement program, according to a July 13 press release.
“Ramzi brings a combination of technical depth and community-focused leadership that we were looking for in our next Public Works Director,” Manhattan Beach City Manager Talyn Mirzakhanian said in the city’s press release. “His experience managing complex capital projects, delivering excellent services, and his track record of leading strong teams, make him well-suited to lead our Public Works Department as Manhattan Beach continues to invest in its infrastructure.”
Ramzi Awwad, who is the new Public Works director for the city of Manhattan Beach, it was announced on July 13, was honored at the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council meeting on July 7, 2026. He served as Public Works director for six years. (photo courtesy city of Rancho Palos Verdes)
Ramzi Awwad is the new Public Works director for the city of Manhattan Beach, it was announced on July 13, 2026. (photo courtesy city of Rancho Palos Verdes)
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Ramzi Awwad, who is the new Public Works director for the city of Manhattan Beach, it was announced on July 13, was honored at the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council meeting on July 7, 2026. He served as Public Works director for six years. (photo courtesy city of Rancho Palos Verdes)
Awwad, who has a master’s degree in transportation and infrastructure systems engineering and a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from Purdue University, spent more than a decade with Arlington County, Virginia, as transportation engineer, engineering design team supervisor and the engineering bureau chief, according to the press release. He also designed transportation engineering projects for a consulting firm and led the Highway Department for Carroll County, Indiana.
Awwad joined Rancho Palos Verdes as deputy director of Public Works in August 2020, before being promoted to the top post in February 2021, said RPV spokesperson Megan Barnes.
Besides being “instrumental” in the city’s landslide emergency response and securing grant funding, he oversaw numerous capital, traffic safety and infrastructure projects, including the construction of Ladera Linda Community Center, Barnes said.
Awwad was honored at the July 7 Rancho Palos Verdes City Council meeting.
RPV City Manager Ara Mihranian said he first met Awwad when he interviewed him during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when he was still living with his family in Arlington.
The Public Works Department had a 75% vacancy at the time, Mihranian said, and officials could not predict what challenges they would face when the land started moving dangerously following heavy winter rains a few years back.
“When I hired you, I said I need a hands-on director, and you lived up to that,” Mihranian at the July 7 council meeting. “You’re a consummate professional. You rolled up your sleeves, and you carried the city through historic challenges.”
Awwad, for his part, said he was humbled and honored for the kind words said by the council, city staffers and the public.
“It takes a solid team behind you that you can trust and I’m fortunate to have that,” Awwad said on July 7. “I hope that the Public Works Department continues on that same path. It’s a great, special group of people. I’m so grateful for everything they’ve helped me with.”
Awwad, on Tuesday interview, called the land movement “possibly a generational challenge.”
“That was a great opportunity to learn how to work cooperatively with the community hand-in-hand towards the objectives,” Awwad said, “how to bring experts and the community together towards viable solutions.”
“In my experience, the field of public works is constantly evolving,” he added. “Regardless of what challenge comes before me, even an unprecedented one like in Rancho Palos Verdes, I have the experience and the knowledge that we can, together with the community, work through it and get to where we need to be.”