{"id":61795,"date":"2026-07-02T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=61795"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:04:50","slug":"we-run-this-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/we-run-this-city\/","title":{"rendered":"We run this city"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Harrisonburg City Manager Ande Banks \u201997<\/strong> says EMU prepared him for a career of leadership and service<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ande Banks \u201997<\/strong>, city manager of Harrisonburg since 2022, says leading the place where he grew up comes with its own unique challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one thing, there are the childhood nicknames that haven\u2019t been forgotten. \u201cWhen you\u2019re walking down the street and someone calls out, \u2018Hey, there goes Andy-Pandy,\u2019 it\u2019s like, \u2018Do you really need to say that out loud?\u2019\u201d Banks said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there are the neighbors and parents of friends who remember the bouts of youthful mischief he and his buddies got into as kids. From swimming in local quarries to setting off firecrackers on Main Street, “it wasn’t anything too scandalous,” he said. Still, those encounters can feel a little awkward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for Banks, who has called Harrisonburg home since he was four, serving as city manager is a dream job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine myself anywhere else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A graduate of Eastern Mennonite School, he later earned a bachelor’s degree in history and social science from EMU in 1997 and a master’s of public administration from James Madison University in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friendships with faculty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Banks didn\u2019t need much convincing to enroll at EMU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a soccer player at Eastern Mennonite School, he already knew then-Royals men\u2019s soccer coach Roger Mast<\/strong>, who had coached the EMS team during his sophomore year and welcomed him on the EMU squad. Many of his friends also were planning to attend EMU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after beginning his studies at EMU, Banks formed close relationships with professors, including his adviser, Dr. Albert N. Keim<\/strong>, a longtime history professor, academic dean, and namesake of the history department\u2019s annual Keim Lecture Series<\/a>. \u201cI absolutely adored him,\u201d Banks said. \u201cBetween him and Dr. Mary Sprunger<\/strong>, who still teaches at EMU, I had amazing one-on-one relationships with professors who I hold in great esteem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banks, a goalkeeper for the Royals soccer team, dropped the sport after his first year to focus more on his coursework. He acknowledged that he had not prioritized academics in high school and credited his relationships with professors with helping him flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalled being fascinated as Dr. Keim, \u201ca kind of grandfather figure,\u201d shared his experiences as a conscientious objector, which stood in stark contrast to his own grandfather\u2019s stories of fighting in World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His grandfather had emigrated from Scotland. Banks spent a semester there for his intercultural, touring the country, reading history texts, and journaling for Dr. Keim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was a really important experience in my college career and as a human being,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was life-changing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Served city since 2009<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a slow and steady rise to the top of city government for Banks, who has worked for the City of Harrisonburg for nearly two decades. He served as director of special projects and grant management from 2009-16 before becoming assistant to then-City Manager Kurt Hodgen from 2016-17 and deputy city manager from 2017-22. He was appointed city manager following a nationwide search on Oct. 25, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As city manager<\/a>, Banks carries out City Council\u2019s policies and directives, prepares the budget, recruits and supervises city staff, oversees daily operations across departments, advises council members, facilitates communication among elected officials, employees and residents, and serves on numerous local and regional boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that range of responsibilities, no two days are the same, Banks said, \u201cand that\u2019s one of the things I love about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Banks was named city manager, Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed<\/strong>, then a member of EMU’s Board of Trustees, offered a strong endorsement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat makes you unique and special is your heart,\u201d Reed told Banks. \u201cYou have a heart of service. You are a servant, and you love this community, you really do. … You are exactly what we need at this time for this city,\u201d The Harrisonburg Citizen<\/a> reported at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EMU teaches \u2018service above self\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Banks credited EMU\u2019s mission and vision with preparing him and other graduates for lives of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth in the curriculum and in the culture of Eastern Mennonite, it prepares us as alumni to go forth into the world and not just make a difference, but be conscious and conscientious citizens of the world,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel that the perspective that was shared with me at EMU I\u2019ve taken forth, and that is certainly one of service above self.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since graduating, he\u2019s regularly returned to campus, connecting with programs such as the Intensive English Program<\/a> and speaking with classes about public service. Banks said one of his favorite parts of the job is helping students and community members understand the role of local government and how it shapes everyday life. From 2001-09, he served as district representative for former U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, and recalled the congressman\u2019s description of local government as \u201cfront-seat politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour constituents literally come out and sit in the front row and stare you down when you\u2019re debating important issues in front of the community,\u201d Banks said. \u201cHere, in local government, you run into your constituents in the grocery store, at church, at school, at soccer games, and that gives you an opportunity to talk about the importance of the services we provide and the needs of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Royals reign<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another benefit of working in local government is his close relationship with other EMU alumni serving in leadership roles across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since becoming the first refugee elected to Harrisonburg City Council in 2024, Nasser Alsaadun MA \u201917<\/strong><\/a> (education) <\/strong>has advocated for local refugee and immigrant communities. In Harrisonburg City Public Schools, alumni athletes Missy Hensley \u201992<\/strong> and Ryan Henschel \u201915<\/strong><\/a> serve as principals of Harrisonburg and Rocktown high schools, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In neighboring Rockingham County, Casey Armstrong \u201906<\/strong> has served as county administrator since January 2025. Matt Dale MA \u201916 (organizational leadership)<\/strong> represents District 3 on the Board of Supervisors, and Kirby Dean \u201992<\/strong> serves as the county\u2019s director of parks and recreation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banks said collaboration between the city and county governments is especially strong because of their shared services, including social services, the health department, the emergency communications center, and the court system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of that means greater savings for our taxpayers and greater efficiencies in providing those services to the residents of Harrisonburg and Rockingham,\u201d Banks said. \u201cAnd that means Casey [Armstrong] and I work much more closely than other colleagues in city-county relationships around the commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Looking toward the future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Banks said it\u2019s an exciting time for Harrisonburg. The city\u2019s metropolitan statistical area, which also includes Rockingham County, is one of only a few in Virginia that has experienced continued growth over the past 20 years, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Harrisonburg faces challenges common to growing cities, including a need for more affordable housing, he said its two universities, regional medical center, and role as a commercial hub position it well for continued growth and long-term success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the future is as bright as the past, if anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banks lives in Harrisonburg with his wife, Jennifer, a JMU alumna, and their two children, Brigid and Al. When he isn\u2019t actively running the city, he stays active, running through the city\u2014often with a baseball cap slipped on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI put on a hat and all of a sudden nobody knows who I am,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018That couldn\u2019t be Ande, because he\u2019s bald.\u2019 It\u2019s like I turn into a superhero.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to his degrees from EMU and JMU, Banks attended the Senior Executive Institute at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service in 2019 and achieved a certificate in local government management from Virginia Tech in 2013. He is a member of the International City\/County Management Association, the Virginia Local Government Management Association, and the American Society for Public Administration.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This story appears in the summer 2026 issue of Crossroads magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harrisonburg City Manager Ande Banks \u201997 says EMU prepared him for a career of leadership and service Ande Banks \u201997, city manager of Harrisonburg since 2022, says leading the place ... read more about We run this city<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":61796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,359,5583,17562,5595],"tags":[5753,19098,18564,19100,6745,19099,19101],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-61795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-applied-social-sciences","category-campus-community","category-digest","category-history","tag-alumni","tag-ande-banks","tag-city-government","tag-city-manager","tag-crossroads","tag-crossroads-2026","tag-royals-reign","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nWe run this city - 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