Whether promoting a community concert, celebrating the opening of a new fire station or sharing the journey of a local business owner, Monica Sedelmeier is helping tell the story of Waco. As chief communications officer for the city, she’s made it her mission to learn about the history and heritage of Waco and how that plays into the successes of today — as she and her team work to ensure all citizens know about everything the city has to offer.
You’re a Midwesterner. How and when did you get to Waco, Texas?
In December 2021, my family — my husband Elvis and our three children, who are now 15, 12 and 10 — moved to Waco. We quickly fell in love with the city and its people, and I’ve had the privilege of playing a significant role in shaping how Waco communicates its story, both internally and externally. As the chief communications officer for the City of Waco, I am responsible for telling the city’s evolving story, from its rich history to its exciting future. My leadership spans broadcast, digital media, publications, graphics, public communications and legislative affairs. I also serve as the public information officer (PIO) and the primary media liaison for the city.
Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up on a family farm in Sioux Center, Iowa, where I learned the value of hard work, integrity and community from an early age. After earning my Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing from Wayne State College, I went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from Colorado Technical University. I also completed the Certified Public Communicator program at Texas Christian University to further sharpen my skills in public communications.
Though you’re not a native Texan, your professional journey brought you here prior to Waco.
Before moving to Waco, I had an extensive career in Sioux Center, Iowa, working for Sioux Center Health, a faith-based, nonprofit health ministry. I started as the Director of Marketing and Foundation, where I helped enhance the organization’s outreach. Recognizing my leadership, I was appointed Interim CEO of the health system for nearly a year, a role that tested my strategic and management abilities. I ended my time there as the Chief Quality and Marketing Officer, where I oversaw marketing, philanthropy, regulatory compliance, infection control, process improvement and strategic planning. My husband was in the Army and was down in San Antonio. When we got married, he had commented about always wanting to come back to Texas. So, when my oldest child was about 1 year old, we moved to Houston. I served as a project manager for the Houston Independent School District, leading initiatives to improve educational services for the school district. I also worked as a client manager for Rice University’s Executive Education program, where I helped design and deliver customized programs for leaders across various industries.
I’d love to know if Waco is what you imagined it would be before you moved here.
I had never been to Waco before coming for my interview. I did a lot of research and really learned about the community and what it was doing and where it was going. We wanted to ensure where we were moving would have good foundations and good progress for our family. And it really it has exceeded my expectations.
A lot of times people have their ideas about Waco and that’s either the Branch Davidians or it’s Chip and Joanna.
It’s hard to explain that it is so much more than that. I would definitely say the concept of Waco from my hometown was definitely more the Chip and Joanna feel than anything else. It was a learning piece for me just to ensure that I understood the history of Waco because it’s all part of our fabric of who we are, specifically within my role. It helps ensure that we’re telling the story and looking at it from a holistic point of view versus just a small lens.
Besides the extreme heat, what’s something that you’ve found unique about living in Texas?
The pride of a state, I’ve never felt in all of the other states I’ve lived in. That meant something to me, having that pride of your state, but then also the pride in your community. People love Waco, and they love living here. We definitely felt that.
Tell me a little bit about your role as chief communications officer for the city.
I get the pleasure of what I call telling the city’s story. I’ve got an amazing team of people who help me throughout that process. We get to do everything from ensuring that our residents know what’s happening with their garbage or their water but also being able to share what the city is doing and who we are. One of the things that we started shortly after I began was the ‘We Are Waco’ series where we go out into the community and ask people questions like ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Why do you choose Waco?’ and ‘Why are you here?’ Whether that’s businesses or it’s people individually or some type of event that’s going on, it’s been really valuable in opening up the community in a different light than how we had shared the story before.
In what ways do you reach people with these stories and messages?
We do a lot through our social media, and we have our cable channel, but then we have mywacotv.com, which is the website. People can go right to that and watch all the video series and things that we do. We do various PSAs about what’s going on in the community. We put one out last [month] about Pet Circle Regional Animal Shelter, and the theme was based on the Superman movie that’s coming out this summer. We had our own Superman and our own Krypto dog that was an adoptable dog out at the animal shelter and did a little PSA on finding your Krypto. And we just found out that he was adopted. We try to take unique things and try to make city government more appealing to people so that they understand that it’s important to them. They’re the reason why we’re here and why we’re able to share what’s happening.
The rebrand of the city has been one of your biggest projects. Talk about that.
[It] was essential as we sought to clarify and communicate Waco’s identity, especially in the face of rapid growth and change. With its rich history and promising future, Waco needed a brand that balanced honoring tradition with embracing innovation. The rebrand focused on Waco’s cultural assets — its thriving arts scene, historical landmarks and natural beauty — while also showcasing its forward momentum in business, infrastructure and community development. The new branding strategy, including the tagline “Waco – A City to Believe In,” reflects the resilience of Waco’s people, who have faced challenges and emerged stronger. Leading this process, I helped craft a unified narrative that resonates with both long-time residents and newcomers. This campaign positioned Waco as a place where history and modernity meet, authentically and innovatively.
What are some of the ways you achieved that?
We did a brand manifesto which is a video series that council members Josh Borderud and Andrea Barefield voiced over for us that talks about who Waco is. The whole project really solidified that Waco is the right place for me and for my family and for us to grow. Hearing the stories and hearing the passion in the people for this community has been really interesting.
After going through that process, who would you, personally, say Waco is?
I would say that Waco has a history that is rooted with strong people. It’s been resilient. It’s been able to take past opportunities and challenges and push forward and to learn from all of that and to ask, ‘Who are we and how are we going to continue to progress forward?’ I think of the stories of the tornado that came through, and all of the various things that the community has dealt with and how much better we are today because of those things. Sometimes people can have those type of experiences and it can really hurt a community. But I think that we’ve taken very strategic and thoughtful steps with the people who’ve helped lead this community to ensure that we’re constantly progressing.
There are so many people still here who remember these long ago events. My mom was a little girl playing in her front lawn and the hail came down during the 1953 tornado.
I think those people are so valuable to ensure that we capture and ensure those stories, those pieces of history, never stop being told so we can share them with future generations.
How many people are on your staff?
I have 19. I have a graphics division that helps think of our marketing strategies and plans. I have a whole video production team because all the videos that we produce, we do in house, plus the cable channel television. And then I have a group of public information officers. They’re the ones that have a specific department that they’re focusing on and helping ensure that they’re supporting a leader within that team. Just recently, we also took on the oversight of our legislative affairs piece. And we run the mail for the city, so I’ve got a courier that does some of that. There’s kind of a uniqueness within all of that.
What’s your leadership philosophy like?
I believe that authentic communication is key to building trust and fostering community growth. I am committed to continuous learning and professional development — not just for myself, but also for my team. I encourage my team members to build personal brands that reflect their true selves, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. My leadership style is collaborative. I leverage the strengths and skills of each team member to achieve our department’s goals. I always say that leadership is about ‘filling their bucket’ — supporting each individual so they feel valued and motivated. This, in turn, strengthens the team and enables us to communicate more effectively with the residents of Waco and all of our stakeholders.
I am a firm believer in servant leadership. I lead by example, always prioritizing the needs of my team and the community we serve. My goal is to foster a positive, inclusive work culture, which has been key to building a highly motivated team that’s deeply invested in Waco’s success.
Brazos Nights and the city’s 4th of July celebration are events we all hear about. You mentioned Pet Circle. What other cool things are you promoting right now?
We just opened the Fire Station 15, which is exciting. It’s beautiful. We had a ribbon cutting and then also did an open house on the Saturday that followed it and had a 50 of the community residents that came and walked through the building. It was really exciting to see their excitement to have that fire station within their community and we love to see that.
We’re remodeling the STEAM center — science, technology, engineering, arts and math — which is just right across the river. That’s going to be a unique feature for us to be able to offer in the community. And our Waco Welcome Center is going to be moving to the AC Marriott and that will be opening this summer. In this location, it’s going to be a little bit more centralized and a little bit more accessible for visitors coming into town.
What kinds of things do you like to do outside work?
My kids are extremely busy. My freshman is playing high school ball and doing some select ball in the summer. My daughter does competitive gymnastics, and she just found out we’re going to regionals. My youngest does Little League and select baseball.
Most of our lives are allowing my kids to live their best life and us carpooling them. But we really do love it. We’ll sit at a baseball diamond all day long and I love it. I enjoy the atmosphere and cheering on my kids and watching the passion that they have for what they’re doing.
What about you, personally. What do you like to do for self-care and what’s your schedule like?
I love to read. I spend a lot of time with my head in a book — especially in the genres of fiction, mystery and thrillers — and trying to decompress. I spend time in the gym every morning. I’m an early riser — at 3:15 a.m. on weekdays — and I work out with an amazing group of people. We work out at Crunch [Fitness] and we’ve become a little support group for each other.
Are you involved in a church?
Absolutely. That is important to me. The town that I grew up in is a small Dutch community and very rooted in Christianity — so much so that most of our stores were closed on Sunday. Our grocery store was closed, and that was how I grew up. I grew up on a farm and Sunday was our true day of rest. Christianity and my faith have been really big and very important to me so [what] was important for us as a family when we moved here was getting connected and getting into a community of faith. We go to Harris Creek and absolutely love it there. We’ve got a group of three other families that we meet with and just kind of do life with, which has been extremely important and amazing for us. They have become part of our family because we don’t have family here. We didn’t know anybody when we moved here. So, we’re really trying to be able to create that network and that community of people to help us in general things, both physically and emotionally from that spiritual side.
As a wife, mother of three and female executive — with all that you do — how do you hope your kids view you and take inspiration from you as you balance everything?
It’s really important to me to ensure that my family realizes that I am a hard worker, but I’m also their mom first. I want to make sure that they see that I am going to work hard and that success from a standpoint of ensuring that I’m making an impact is important, but yet that I’m also making that impact at home. That’s a conversation that I have frequently with my kids. If I’m unable to make it to one of their things or if I’m busy doing something, I want them to realize the why behind it and the importance of why Mom’s doing what she’s doing. But I also love to get them involved in what I’m doing. My daughter has come into this office where she’ll sit and be a part of the work that I do. I’m passionate about the city of Waco and the community that I’m supporting. So that becomes a part of my kids’ lives too.
Is there is there anyone who’s been a mentor to you throughout your career?
When we moved back to Iowa, it was the mayor at the time of the town that we moved to. He took me underneath his wing. We would meet for coffee frequently and talk about my career from a development standpoint, and also about the community that we were both living in and supporting and why that was important and gave me that taste for municipal government. In retrospect, that all happens for a reason. God puts things in your plan and to think when he reached out to me how purposeful that was for the job that I’m doing today. Now I am able to ensure that I’m supporting our mayor and our elected officials well in my role.
That relationship surely helped define your leadership philosophy.
Very much so. My staff and their success is very important to me. Ensuring that they feel valued and that I’ve invested in them personally and their career goals and career growth is really important to me. When I came on board, one of my biggest things that I wanted to start with was ensuring that I understood each of their strengths and how the work that they were doing played into those strengths so that that they want to be here.
And specifically in the job that we do, the things that we put out and how they look and how they sound and how they feel, because a lot of the communications is how somebody has perceived it. It’s making sure that I’m helping build them up as individuals as well as ensuring that they realize the importance of their role that they do for the city.
What’s the most rewarding part of working for the city of Waco?
Just getting to be involved in all of the happenings of the city and helping communicate them. I think that that’s always been an interesting piece for me as I love to see things from an umbrella viewpoint and really think that that’s one of the skill sets that I can bring to the team — thinking strategically about the things we do as a city, how we can let people know about them, how those things will have an impact and how they will be perceived. That’s what I probably love the most. Being able to take that approach in helping us be strategic in how we think and how we’re communicating it. I’ve always been passionate about public service, and my career has allowed me to make an impact in Waco. I am proud to have played a key role in helping the city navigate growth and change while maintaining a strong sense of community. Through various projects and initiatives, I have worked to guide my team and the city toward a shared vision of progress. I am deeply committed to shaping a future for Waco that is transparent, community-driven and resilient.
