Deputy County Executive Dan Alexander was recently appointed as the next City Manager for the City of Fairfax. His last day with Prince William County will be Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.
County Executive Christopher J. Shorter has announced appointing Steve Austin to serve as Acting Deputy County Executive for the Safe and Secure Community quadrant, effective Dec. 15, 2025.
“Steve retired earlier this year as the director of the county’s Office of Criminal Justice Services with nearly 38 years of experience in public service and the criminal justice field,” Shorter wrote in an email on Dec. 8. “His decades of operational and executive experience, deep understanding of the county’s public safety environment, and well-established working relationships across departments allows him to assume these responsibilities with minimal transition time.”
Shorter continued, “Given the complexity and high-risk nature of the Safe and Secure Community portfolio, a thoughtful period of transition and overlap between Dan and Steve is essential. This will allow the county to maintain experienced and steady leadership in order to sustain continuity of operations, strategic initiatives already underway, and ensure that public safety services remain uninterrupted and effective. In the meantime, we have engaged a recruitment firm to start the process for the permanent selection of the Deputy County Executive for Safe and Secure Community. I will keep you updated as that process moves forward.”