SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 28, 2025 –
The City of South San Francisco is pleased to announce the appointment of Megan Wooley-Ousdahl as its new Deputy City Manager, effective August 15, 2025.
Megan currently serves as a Principal Planner for the City of South San Francisco, a role she stepped into in late 2023. In this capacity, she has led the City’s transportation planning efforts, worked on land use and community engagement projects, and serves as the staff liaison to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
With more than 15 years of experience spanning both public service and the private sector, Megan brings deep expertise in land use and transportation planning, community engagement, and interagency collaboration. Her work has impacted communities across the country—from small towns to large metropolitan areas—through inclusive planning, thoughtful development, and innovative transportation strategies.
“Megan has a proven track record of building strong partnerships and delivering forward-thinking solutions that improve communities,” said City Manager Sharon Ranals. “Her leadership, insight, and collaborative spirit make her a tremendous asset to our organization and our residents.”
Prior to joining South San Francisco, Megan served as a planner and later as Office Director at Toole Design’s Oakland office, where she led the development of several landmark plans, including the San Mateo Bicycle Master Plan and the Union City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. She also held key roles in Safe Routes to Schools programs and led high-impact public engagement efforts across the region.
Her previous public sector experience includes time with the City of San Carlos and the City of San Bruno, where she worked on both long-range and current planning initiatives. Megan began her planning career in North Carolina, working for the Town of Chapel Hill on affordable housing, town-gown relations, and neighborhood planning.
Megan earned her bachelor’s degree in politics from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her AICP certification in 2015 and has led numerous presentations on equity in transportation planning, community engagement, and cross-sector collaboration at national conferences and summits.
“I’m honored to step into this new role and continue serving the South San Francisco community,” Megan said. “This is a city with a strong vision for the future, and I’m excited to help carry that forward through collaborative, community-driven work.”
Please join us in welcoming Megan Wooley-Ousdahl to her new role as Deputy City Manager.
The City of South San Francisco proudly remains The Industrial City, a reflection of its steel mill and ship building past, redefined to reflect the innovative, entrepreneurial, and industrious spirit which has made South San Francisco the Biotech Capital of the World, with 217 active biotech companies and growing. A vibrant community of 66,185 residents, South San Francisco enjoys a high quality of life with an extensive public parks system, active library and learning programming and a dynamic, engaged community making South San Francisco a great place to live, learn, work, and play.