Philadelphia has a new face in the mayor’s office for the first time in eight years. With that comes a new set of staffers and administrators running the show in City Hall.
Mayor Cherelle Parker was sworn in privately on Monday and publicly on Tuesday. Leading up to her inauguration, she started announcing leadership appointments for her new administration.
Her picks have been people who already have experience living or working in Philadelphia, and have done at least some work in government or politics. Many of them have already worked in some capacity for the city government specifically.
Read on for more on who her new appointments are, what they’ve done before, and what they’ll be expected to do in their new jobs.
Chief of Staff: Tiffany W. Thurman
What the role does: One of Parker’s “Big Three” leaders “at the top of the Parker administration’s organizational chart,” who is responsible for implementing policy, handling crises, overseeing the budget, and other duties, according to the Inquirer.
What to know about Thurman: She has experience both working directly in government and liaising with government officials as a worker in the private sector. Thurman has worked with Parker before, when Parker led the Philly delegation of the House of Representatives and appointed Thurman as its executive director.
Past politics and government experience: Chief of staff for Philadelphia Parks and Recreation during the Kenney administration, and executive director of the Philly delegation to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Other past jobs: Vice president of government affairs at the Greater Philadelphia YMCA, and Pennsylvania local government lead at Accenture.
Chief Deputy Mayor of Intergovernmental Affairs, Sustainability, and Engagement: Sinceré Harris
What the role does: A “Big Three” member who’s responsible for managing intergovernmental and municipal labor union relations.
What to know about Harris: She recently returned to Philly to work on Parker’s campaign — and now administration — after a stint in DC working in President Joe Biden’s administration. Her professional resume is dominated by politics and government work at the state and federal level.
Past politics and government experience: Parker’s mayoral campaign manager, various roles in the Biden administration — including as White House associate director for intergovernmental affairs and as White House liaison for the Environmental Protection Agency — Biden presidential campaign advisor and member of the transition team, executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and an assistant deputy secretary in the Pennsylvania governor’s office during Tom Wolf’s administration.
Chief deputy mayor of planning and strategic initiatives: Aren Platt
What the role does: A “Big Three” job involving city planning and development oversight and improving city services through tech, the Inquirer reported.
What to know about Platt: He brings a background in political strategy and fundraising. Platt is also one of Parker’s longtime advisors.
Past politics experience: Senior advisor to Parker’s mayoral campaign and co-director of her transition team, founder and CEO of political consulting firm Cycle Strategy, and work on various political campaigns, including those of former U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell, and former state Sen. Daylin Leach.
Other past jobs: Chief aide to the CEO of La Colombe and executive vice president of public affairs for Frank DiCicco Associates.
Managing Director: Adam Thiel
What the role does: Oversees the city’s daily operations and the departments that carry them out, from Philly311 to the Department of Public Health.
What to know about Thiel: He has lots of leadership experience in government roles spanning multiple states. He moved to Philly in 2016 to lead the Fire Department, and he later led the Office of Emergency Management as well.
Past government experience: Philadelphia fire commissioner, director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, deputy secretary of public safety and homeland security for the Commonwealth of Virginia, executive director of the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, fire chief for the City of Alexandria, and firefighter in several municipal fire departments across the country.
Other past jobs: Adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University, Arizona State University, and George Mason University, and co-founder of two consulting firms.
Police Commissioner: Kevin J. Bethel
What the role does: Leads Philly’s police department — the fourth largest in the country — and its 6,000+ employees.
What to know about Bethel: He’s spent the vast majority of his career in the Philadelphia Police Department, rising through the ranks from officer to deputy commissioner when he retired in 2016. He’s been recognized both in Philly and beyond for his juvenile justice work.
Past government experience: Multiple positions over his 30 years in the PPD — including captain and deputy commissioner for patrol operations — and chief of school safety at the School District of Philadelphia.
Other past jobs: Senior policy advisor at the Stoneleigh Foundation.
Director of Commerce: Alba Martinez
What the role does: Leads the city’s Department of Commerce, which works to attract businesses to Philly and to help grow and retain the ones that are already here.
What to know about Martinez: She’s a former executive with experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors who moved to Philly after law school and started her career here. She’ll be Philly’s first openly LGBTQ and first Latina commerce director.
Past government experience: Philadelphia Commissioner of Human Services during Mayor John Street’s administration.
Other past jobs: President and CEO of United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, head of retail client services and head of global talent acquisition at Vanguard, co-founder of Magnolia Impact Solutions, founder of Street Knowledge, lawyer at Community Legal Services.
Director of Finance: Rob Dubow
What the role does: Oversees the city’s finances, accounting, payroll, and fiscal policy.
What to know about Dubow: He’s been the city’s finance director for 16 years. Outgoing Mayor Jim Kenney publicly encouraged Parker to retain Dubow.
Past government experience: Philadelphia director of finance since the beginning of Michael Nutter’s mayoral administration; executive director and financial analyst at the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority; chief financial officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia budget director, assistant budget director, and deputy budget director.
Other past jobs: Research associate at the Pennsylvania Economy League; reporter for the Associated Press.
Budget Director: Robert McDermott
What the role does: Manages the city’s capital and operating budgets.
What to know about McDermott: He’s moving over to Parker’s administration from former City Council President Darrell Clarke’s office, where he analyzed the city’s fiscal position and advised council on budgetary issues as chief financial officer.
Past government experience: Chief financial officer, deputy chief financial officer, and financial policy analyst for Philadelphia City Council.
Other past jobs: Adjunct faculty member at Temple University in the Master of Public Policy Program.
Director of the “Clean and Green Initiatives” Office: Carlton Williams
What the role does: The details of the newly formed office’s duties are unclear as of now. Some department heads will report to Williams. Parker campaigned on making Philly the “cleanest, greenest” big city in the country.
What to know about Williams: He’s spent his whole career in Philly government, including as commissioner of two departments. A spokesperson for Parker told the Inquirer that Williams was “the only person that she wanted to lead” her clean and green push.
Past government experience: Philadelphia Streets commissioner during the Kenney administration, Department of Licenses and Inspections commissioner during the Nutter administration, and deputy commissioner in the Streets and Parks and Recreation departments.
City Solicitor: Renee Garcia
What the role does: Manages the Law Department and serves as the city’s chief legal officer, including as general counsel to the mayor, City Council, and all city government departments.
What to know about Garcia: She’s worked in the Law Department for three years, heading one of the office’s five practice groups. Garcia has led the Litigation Group in handling high-profile matters, like pursuing litigation against ghost gun manufacturers and negotiating a settlement in the class action lawsuit against the city for its response to the George Floyd protests.
Past government experience: Chair of Litigation at the Philadelphia Law Department.
Other past jobs: Associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP and managing senior counsel at PNC Bank.
Chief Public Safety Director: Adam Geer
What the role does: Coordinate public safety resources across city departments, offer guidance and initial approvals for related policies, and evaluate program effectiveness, among other duties.
What to know about Geer: He’ll be taking on a brand new, high-level position, created by a Home Rule Charter change that passed in November, and the new mayor believes he’s “exceptionally prepared to shape the role.” Geer is transitioning from his job as deputy inspector general for public safety, a position created in 2020. “In a way, to be quite frank, Adam has been doing this new role already,” Parker said in her announcement.
Past government experience: Philadelphia deputy inspector general for public safety in the Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General, and assistant district attorney, trial attorney, and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
Other past jobs: Legal associate at two private law firms.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mayor Cherelle Parker’s transition team includes John Salveson of the Salveson Stetson Group, which has been retained to help oversee recruiting staff for the administration. Salveson is also chairman of WHYY’s board of directors.
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