Dr. Antonio “Tony” M. Lopez is the Deputy Town Manager at the Town of Miami Lakes, FL (pop. 30,800). In his role, he is responsible for the implementation of all Town operational initiatives and policies and has provided the vision for major community development projects in parks, beautification, community wide infrastructure, public safety, and mobility. In addition, he leads and directly oversees the day-to-day operations of several Town departments including the Police/Public Safety Department, Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works and CIP Department, Communications and Community Affairs Department, Building and Code Enforcement Department, along with the oversight of emergency management and strategic planning and innovation. He has been a local government practitioner in various leadership roles for over twenty (20) years and has been a recipient of National, State, and local awards and honors for his work in government administration and parks and recreation. Also, he is an active adjunct lecturer at Florida International University for over fifteen (15) years and has served on multiple national, state, and local professional and academic committees and boards.
Tony is an ICMA Credentialed Manager (ICMA-CM) and Certified Parks and Recreation Executive (CPRE). He received his Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) degree and master’s degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Florida International University and his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University. He is a published researcher and his research interests are in the areas of public-private partnerships (P3), public entrepreneurship, and government innovation.