Jill Schramm/MDN Minot’s assistant city manager, Tom Joyce, visits the Public Works shop Thursday, where maintenance on city vehicles takes place.

It didn’t take Tom Joyce long in his acquaintance with Minot to realize the city’s new assistant city manager position is a good fit for him.

The City of Minot’s aspirations that include professionalism, responsibility, integrity and excellence mirror the values he has come to espouse in working for many years with the military, said Joyce, who assumed the assistant manager position in mid-January.

“The thing that people will see with me is that I hold myself responsible and accountable,” he said. So in reading the city’s aspirations, he said, “It just felt good to know that I’m part of that.”

He was just as encouraged to find out the city has developed a comprehensive plan through 2040.

“This forward thinking, proactive approach – that is in line with who I am,” he said. “Sometimes I just think it’s fate. It’s just a good fit, and being close to a military community and being part of a military community – because that’s what I’ve always been my whole life – that’s just an extra bonus.”

Joyce grew up in Virginia and Germany, where his father was stationed with the Army. He attended the University of Virginia on an ROTC scholarship, earning a degree in American government in 1986. He later earned a master’s degree from Purdue University in 1991, a master’s in military operational art and science from Air Command and Staff College in 2000 and a master’s of strategic studies from Air War College in 2005.

“I thought I would do four years and I did 28,” he said of his time in the Air Force. “I met my wife, Caroline, there in my first assignment. She was also in the Air Force.”

Their assignments took them to a variety of locations, including Panama; Germany; Dover, Delaware; Anchorage, Alaska; and Washington, D.C. Joyce retired as a colonel in 2014 in San Antonio, Texas.

He worked a year for the banking and insurance company USAA, which serves military families. For 8½ years he had worked for the Army in civilian roles that involved management of public works and other base services.

From 2021 until coming to Minot, Joyce had served as the deputy to the garrison commander at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Joyce was responsible for directing administrative, technical and professional services supporting a population of more than 73,000.

Joyce said he was interested in city or county management but wanted to make sure a move to Minot would be the right one. He had landed at the Minot airport to visit Minot Air Force Base with an evaluation team about 25 years ago, but a trip to Minot last October was his first chance to get to know the city. Although impressed, he took the extra step of calling colleagues from his Air Force days who had been commanders at the base to get their insights, which were positive.

Since joining the City of Minot, Joyce has been getting more intimately acquainted with city operations. In hiring an assistant manager, the city council indicated it wanted to free up City Manager Harold Stewart to get out of the office and into the field and to do more forward planning.

Joyce’s initial role includes overseeing Public Works and Engineering, which requires getting to know those city operations and the current and future needs.

“Early on, it’s just been about context, understanding what we do and why,” he said. Eventually, he said, “I want to be where I’m getting out and about with them and really seeing what the issues are.”

Understanding the issues and prioritizing the needs is important because gaining council support requires good planning and rationale, he said.

“What I’ve seen so far is this team is doing that, and it’s great to just come in to be part of a team that’s already thinking that way. And then just over time to be able to add some of my insights from some of my experiences. Obviously, the goal is to be value-added and maybe take us the next step. That’s what it’s all about to me is continuous improvement and customer service. Those are my focus areas,” he said.

Joyce said he also has been sitting in on discussions surrounding a number of items facing the city to gain a situational awareness. He has attended a Minot Area Chamber EDC Military Affairs Committee meeting to meet economic development and base leaders.

In time, he plans to get more personally involved in the community, starting with finding a church. He had served on the board of a nonprofit in a former community.

“I’m a library fanatic. I’m a sports fanatic. I love to ski,” Joyce said. He said he and Caroline enjoy the outdoors and will be checking out trails to take their Border Collie on walks. He added he is open to trying new things, such as ice fishing, and hopes to explore more of North Dakota at some point.

“I want to make sure that I’m responsible to the city first. I want to get to know my job and understand what I’m doing, and then find the time to go do other things in the community,” Joyce said.

The “kindness matters” engraved on a bracelet he wears reflects the attitude he wants to bring to his job and community.

“I’m going to do my best to be collegial,” he said of his desire to work in partnership with the city and community. “I’m really in pursuit of the greater good. How can we collectively come together and work to do the right thing to make this city just the place that you want to live, work and thrive in — and whatever thriving means to you. To me, it means waking up every day and feeling like I’m in the right spot and I’m contributing and I’m value-added. I just want to be part of that.”