Krishna Namburi was bestowed the childhood nickname “the city manager” years before she ever set foot in Oregon.

Growing up in Vizag, India, she impressed early teachers with her book smarts and emotional intelligence. One commented that she should someday take the civil service exam.

Her father, a government official, seized on the assessment, turning what he hoped would be her future job into Namburi’s unofficial title with extended family.

“Talk about pressure,” Namburi said in a recent interview with Salem Reporter.

It was a calling Namburi resisted for years despite her father’s encouragement. But she’s now held Salem’s top job for about nine months, taking the helm first as interim city manager in March after the abrupt resignation of former Salem City Manager Keith Stahley.

The

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