On December 1, 2021, the Alexandria City Council appointed James F. Parajon as Alexandria’s City Manager, effective January 18, 2022. Parajon succeeds to Mark B. Jinks, who retired in January 2022. 

Parajon brings nearly three decades of experience as a professional planner with an extensive technical and management background. He has managed the short- and long-range activities of large, multidisciplined consultant firms and municipal organizations; advised elected officials and local government staff on development, design, transportation and growth policies; and conducted training workshops for interest groups, the business community, and professionals on a regional and national level.

Parajon comes to Alexandria from the City of Arlington, Texas, where he has served since 2006. His most recent role has been serving as Deputy City Manager for Asset Management, Communication & Legislative Affairs, Economic Development, Esports Stadium, Fire, Libraries, Office of Strategic Initiatives, Handitran and the Municipal Airport. Prior to his current role, Parajon served as Arlington’s Community Development and Planning Director, where he was responsible for the management of real estate services, planning, and the Arlington Housing Authority; civil engineering, federal grant programs, and natural gas well functions; and development services and building inspections functions. 

Parajon has previously worked for the North Carolina cities of Raleigh and Cary. His experience also includes almost a dozen years managing planning functions for large private consulting firms, including URS Corporation and Buchart Horn Inc. Parajon, a graduate of Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, completed his master’s degree in Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In 2014, he was elected to the College of Fellows for the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has presented at national and regional conferences on a variety of planning topics and has served as an adjunct professor for the University of Texas at Arlington.

Raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, Parajon looks forward to returning to the East Coast. He will relocate to Alexandria with his wife, Elizabeth, an educator with experience in both public and private schools. He is especially proud of his children, Eric and Stephanie, who are currently attending university.