Sharing the Passing of James Barnes, Chief Customer Operations Officer with the City of Tallahassee

August 01, 2026

Sent on behalf of City Manager Reese Goad:

I am deeply saddened to share that this morning, our friend and colleague James Barnes, General Manager of Customer Account Services and Director of Customer Operations for the City of Tallahassee, passed away following a brief illness. This profound loss will be greatly felt within our organization and the wider community.

James was a force. He brought exuberant energy, innovation and an unwavering commitment to excellence to everything he did, along with style and a million-watt smile. He proudly led a remarkable team and was a profound believer in principle-centered, service leadership.

He cultivated talent that touches every part of our organization. Handling roughly 500,000 customer transactions each year, his team embodies the City's mission to be the national leader in the delivery of public service, with a commitment to "Quality First - Every Time, Every Call, Every Contact." He exemplified that ethos.

James consistently sought ways to drive our organization forward. A proven problem solver, he spurred impactful changes to improve outcomes for customers while ensuring training and support were always in place to better his team. In the last few years alone, he led his team through the roll out of a new CIS system, a new Meter Data Management System, FlexPay utility service and the expansion of the City's Customer Self-Service portal. The team's attention to detail and customer-centered approach resulted in the self-service portal achieving one of the highest adoption rates of any self-service portal in the country among utilities.

As dedicated as he was to City customers, he was equally focused on internal programs for his team. From implementing online e-learning modules and wellness programs like Step-up and Walk to developing department leaders and celebrating milestones, he invested in his team and championed their growth - and they are indeed the very best!

His expertise in building and optimizing processes in Call Center Operations produced award-winning results again and again. His leadership helped garner the City numerous awards from the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA), including the Building Strong Communities Award, and contributed to the City being named the #1 Public Utility in America. He received the prestigious Customer Executive Icon Award in 2022, was named FMEA's 2020 Member of the Year, initiated FMEA's Executive Roundtable for Customer Operations, served on multiple industry committees and boards over the years and was a sought-after presenter who loved sharing his knowledge.

Thanks to his efforts, Tallahassee will host FMEA's Regional Energy Auditors Roundtable in September and has been selected to host a national forum focused on Customer Information System strategy, implementations and innovation in 2027. In this and so many other ways, his legacy of leadership and excellence continues. His pride for his team and belief that no one could do it better was unmatched.

James began his tenure with the City of Tallahassee in January 2007 and guided the City's utility customer experience ever since. Prior to coming to the City, James worked for USAgencies, Cox Communications & Comcast. He was also a veteran of the United States Army and member of the National Urban League, 100 Black Men and NAACP.

A beloved husband, father and grandfather, please keep his wife, Jan, and his entire family in your prayers.