Former Scottsdale City Manager Jim Thompson Returns Home to Join SEG Leadership Team

After Decades in Local Government, Thompson Brings Public-Sector Perspective to Growing Phoenix Firm

Former Scottsdale City Manager Jim Thompson is heading home to Arizona for a new chapter in the private sector. Following 40 years in city government, Thompson will join the Sustainability Engineering Group as president and chief growth officer starting July 1, 2026, bringing decades of experience in economic development and infrastructure planning to the Phoenix-based engineering, design and artificial intelligence firm. SEG combines traditional engineering and planning services with AI-powered due diligence tools that help municipalities, developers and businesses gather project information, evaluate sites and identify potential issues earlier in the process.

Thompson served as Scottsdale’s city manager from 2017 through 2024 after holding the same position in Casa Grande. His career in local government spans four decades and includes work in economic development, infrastructure planning and organizational leadership.

“I called Arizona home for much of my career, and I’m excited to return to familiar territory,” Thompson said. “After decades helping communities manage growth, infrastructure and economic development, what attracted me to SEG was its combination of engineering expertise and

AI-driven technology. Communities and developers are having to make increasingly complex decisions, and SEG is creating tools and resources that help them make more informed decisions and evaluate opportunities more quickly.”

The role places Thompson at a company with a client base that includes municipalities, developers and businesses – the same groups he worked alongside throughout his years in public service.

SEG, headquartered in Phoenix with an office in Dallas, operates across multiple regions around the world, offering planning, design and engineering services alongside proprietary AI-powered due diligence technology that streamlines site selection, development planning and project evaluation for municipalities, developers and businesses.

Despite the company’s international reach, Arizona remains SEG’s primary focus, and Fakih said Thompson’s experience in the region gives him a perspective few professionals in the industry can match.

“Jim has worked on some of Arizona’s most significant growth and development efforts over the past several decades,” Fakih said. “He understands what cities need, what challenges developers face and what it takes for a successful project to come together. People across Arizona know him, respect him and trust his judgment, and that carries a lot of weight when communities, businesses and public agencies need to find common ground.”

In his new role, Thompson will help oversee day-to-day operations, support business development efforts and work with clients across the company’s engineering, design and AI-related service lines.

Thompson’s professional background also extends beyond local government. He taught at Arizona State University in the Master of Public Administration program, including leading classes focused on organizational behavior and human resource management. He also taught at Regis University and the University of Washington.

After spending the last few decades in city government, Thompson expressed an eagerness to apply what he’s learned in a different environment.

“Arizona’s steady growth is creating plenty of new opportunities, but it’s also making projects more complex than ever,” Thompson said. “I look forward to helping clients navigate these challenges and find practical, manageable solutions that keep communities and projects moving forward.”

For more information about SEG, visit AZSEG.com.