City Manager

Welcome to the City Manager’s office. My name is Cody Sims. I became the newest City Manager in Evans in January of 2023.

Prior to my arrival in Evans, prior to my arrival in Evans, I served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Augusta, Kansas, a position I have held for the past eight years. Prior to my service in Augusta, I served as the Director of Economic Development and Interim Director of Engineering for the City of Wellington, Kansas for nearly three years. My first professional position in local government was with the City of Bel Aire, Kansas, where I served as a management intern and Assistant to the City Manager for one year. My first exposure to public service came when I served as a volunteer firefighter for 6 ½ years for Sumner County Fire District No. 9 and a reserve police officer for two years.

We are going to be intentional about what we do to make Evans better. We are going to be proactive about code enforcement. We're going to be proactive about economic development. We're going to be proactive about creating a better, more livable, and vibrant community. One of the things that I'm passionate about is making sure that we're creating a community that everybody benefits from.

Prior to my public sector career, I worked for twelve years in aerospace engineering for The Boeing Company, Spirit AeroSystems, and Airbus as a mechanical systems designer. I was born in Wheatland, Wyoming in February 1981 and grew up in a small rural farming community south of Wichita, Kansas; I graduated from Belle Plaine High School in 1999. After high school, I attended Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas and graduated in 2001 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Drafting Technology. While working in aerospace, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Quality Management from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas in 2006, having graduated cum laude. Desiring to forge a new path in life, I began my graduate education in 2008 at Wichita State University while continuing to work full time in the aerospace industry. In 2011, I graduated from Wichita State with a Master of Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in City and County Management.

Throughout my professional career, I have prioritized professional development to continually improve and evolve into a more effective local government manager. I completed the Heartland Economic Development course in 2014 through the Institute for Decision Making at the University of Northern Iowa. In 2018, I earned the Certified Public Manager credential from the University of Kansas Public Management Center. In 2019, I completed an in-depth servant leadership curriculum through the Kansas Leadership Center, and in 2020, I reached a significant professional milestone when I attained the designation of Credentialed Manager through the International City/County Manager’s Association. I have been married to my wife Ashlee for 15 years, and together we have three (3) children: Madison (12), Keaton (9), and Brooklynn (5). Ashlee has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Fort Hays State University and has served as a Kindergarten teacher for the past five (5) years. Outside of work, I enjoy golfing and spending as much time with my family as possible. Each summer, we vacation in northern Colorado and Wyoming, spending time with family in Loveland, relaxing in Estes Park where Ashlee and I honeymooned, and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.