Employee Spotlight


We love to cEmployee Spotlight Kovachelebrate the milestones of our colleagues here at City Hall and we use our Employee Spotlight to spread the word! Please join us in celebrating the end of probation for now-official Universal City Firefighter Mark Kovach. He successfully completed six months of extensive training. Fire Chief Todd Perna arranged Kovach's ceremony to give Kovach's wife the opportunity to pin him and celebrate his receiving the UCFD shield. Perna calls it a well-deserved achievement!  Good job Firefighter Kovach.

Athena Ford Certification

 Atehena CPM

I grew up in Schertz, Texas, and graduated from Samuel Clemens High School, so I’m a longtime local. I received my Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi in 2017.

After graduating, I spent a year in corporate accounting and quickly realized that was not the life for me. I joined the utilities department of the City in October 2019 and fell in love with all things water and public administration, continuing to build my career from there.

My long-term goal of becoming an assistant city manager or city manager led me to the Texas State Certified Public Manager program. I love the work I do for the City, including serving as our resident water conservationist, public works grant procurer, and metering infrastructure monitor. I am passionate about enriching communities through positive and effective change.


employee spotlight

This spotlight is dedicated to our hard-working Public Works department. If you joined us for the 2025 Snowfest and Carnival, you saw them patiently helping guests on and off shuttle buses and making sure everything ran smoothly. Thank you, Public Works!

We truly appreciate the effort and dedication that goes into ensuring our community events are a success. From planning to execution, their hard work never goes unnoticed.

Next time you see a Public Works team member, be sure to thank them for their service and commitment to keeping our city running smoothly!