Pougnet has lived in Palm Springs since 1999. He was elected to the Palm Springs City Council in 2003 and served as its Mayor Pro-Tem where he serves on numerous boards and committees, including president of the Mizell Senior Center, chairman of the Coachella Valley Association of Government's Energy Conservation subcommittee, board member of the Valley Action Group, and a member of the Palm Springs Unified School District Advisory Committee. He was also co-chair of the Citizens Task Force for Mountain and Foothill Preservation and Planning.

His areas of interest in leading the city include: Revitalization of Downtown, Crime & Safety, Resource Conservation, Community Involvement.

Prior to moving to Palm Springs, Pougnet was Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. As Vice President he had executive responsibility for the School's Office of Development, including structuring, planning, budgeting and execution of all programs in fundraising, gift administration, stewardship and records maintenance. He was also responsible for the School's Public Affairs Office, executing all activities in public affairs, such as communication with media, production of special events, and production of informational materials. From 1991 through 1993, Mr. Pougnet served as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and Special Assistant to the Vice President at Colorado School of Mines.

Prior to joining Colorado School of Mines, Mr. Pougnet was the Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Michigan State University. He assisted the director in a $160 million capital campaign to plan, implement and evaluate a comprehensive development program designed to fully develop gift income and reach campaign goals for corporations and foundations.

As Associate Director of the National Corporate Leadership Program for the United Way of America, Mr. Pougnet provided consultation services to chief executive officers and senior management to coordinate national campaigns in all operating units of the corporation. He began his career with United Way of New York City in 1985.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Michigan State University in 1985, specializing in Materials Logistics Management and Purchasing & Operations. He recently served on the Alumni Board of the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State.