Million Dollar Man

Jason Nunemaker ('94) has a $150,000 check hanging on his city hall office in Dania Beach, Fla. Well, it's a mock check; but the framed fixture confirms Nunemaker's success in writing grant proposals. So far, this city manager has brought in more than $5 million in grant monies for the city.

But the million-dollar man says public service was not his first choice of careers. "I always thought that I would be a lawyer," says the one-time political science major, who earned a master's in public administration from JMU. "I didn't anticipate working in the government sector." In 1995, Nunemaker earned a fellowship to work in the Virginia governor's office, and the next year, he was awarded a scholarship to work on his doctorate in public administration at Florida Atlantic University. "These experiences piqued my interest in public service," he says.

While working on his doctorate, Nunemaker was assigned an internship as assistant to the Dania Beach city manager through the FAU/FIU Joint Center for Environmental and Urban Problems. "I didn't know anything about the city, but I figured I'd check it out," he says, "Taking a chance was great, because I learned a lot about the inner workings of government and it led to a job I love."

Nunemaker, originally from Chesterfield, Va., was promoted to assistant to the city manager just four months after his internship. He was named assistant city manager in October 2000 and city manager in March 2001.

In an age when congressmen and presidents have been chastised left and right for a lack of moral behavior, Nunemaker says that he is proud to represent public servants. "I love what I do," he says. "You are right in the middle of things, and you can make a difference in the lives of others."

As city manager, Nunemaker oversees 180 employees and is the city's point man on community development issues. He works with an elected mayor and four commissioners, and, of course, lends his expertise to the city's grant writers.

Nunemaker also has a flair for the historic facts of the oldest incorporated city in Broward County. "In the 1920s, Dania Beach was known as the Tomato Capital of the World, complete with a Miss Tomato Pageant," he says. Today, the city is known as the "Antiques Capital of the South" for being home to more than 100 antiques shops. The city is also the home to the International Game Fish Association and Museum and one of the world's largest sporting goods centers, Bass Pro Outdoor World.

Michelle Hite ('88) with Kai Hill, The Sun-Sentinel