Mayor Cherelle Parker taps City Hall veterans to lead the departments of labor, records, water, and parks and recreation
The announcements continue a trend in which Parker, despite saying her transition team conducted national searches for many positions, has turned to local talent to lead her administration.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is continuing to fill out her administration with City Hall veterans, and on Thursday announced the appointments of longtime city employees to lead departments of labor, records, water, and parks and recreation.
Parker tapped Susan Slawson, who began her career as a police officer and was recreation commissioner in Mayor John F. Street’s administration, to be her commissioner for parks and recreation. She promoted Perritti Di Virgilio, who was previously the city’s director of labor standards, to be director of the Department of Labor.
And she announced she is retaining Records Commissioner James Leonard and Water Commissioner Randy Hayman, who held those positions in former Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration.
“These announcements bring us one step closer to creating an administration that we believe we are doing our best to fill with our best and brightest,” Parker said at a City Hall news conference. “We will take as long as it takes to make sure that we have people who believe in the vision we promised the people because these are the people who are going to realize the vision. I’m only one person.”
The appointments continue a trend in which Parker, despite saying her transition team conducted national searches for many positions, has turned to local talent to lead her administration.
Parker said Thursday that late last year she attended a Harvard University training for new mayors and realized “there’s a lot of competition to secure the best and the brightest to come to your city in these, what we call, niche, technical areas like water.” Then she heard others at the training speaking highly of Hayman.
“He’s not going anywhere,” Parker said. “We were able to hold on to some of the best talent in the nation.”
Previous appointments include: Managing Director Adam K. Thiel, who was fire commissioner under Kenney; Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel; who was a deputy police commissioner under former Mayor Michael A. Nutter; and Finance Director Rob Dubow, who has held that position under the last three mayors.
» READ MORE: Familiar faces and an unusual structure: How Cherelle Parker is shaping her mayoral administration
When it comes to positions outside of the city’s operational departments, Parker’s picks have been more varied.
On Thursday she also announced the appointment of Keiwana McKinney, founder of KMF Insurance Associates, as director of engagement for women, and Abu Edwards, a political consultant and former City Council candidate, to be the director of Black male engagement.
She appointed Bishop Wilfred H. Speakes Sr. to be director of faith and interfaith affairs. And she tapped Iman Quaiser Abdullah to be the city’s first-ever director of Muslim engagement.