Mayor Cherelle Parker announces business-oriented senior staff, including a ‘2026 director’
Her hires include former City Council candidate Donovan West, who will serve as the "director of business roundtables," a new position.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced Tuesday that she’s added a handful of senior-level staff positions focused on business development and growth, including one person whose job will be preparing for major events set to take place in 2026.
Parker also hired two officials to lead a newly created Office of Minority Business Success, which the administration said “will help minority businesses launch and thrive in Philadelphia.”
And she appointed Donovan West — the former CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce who unsuccessfully ran for City Council last year — to be her administration’s “director of business roundtables,” meaning he’ll serve as a liaison to the business community.
The administration announced the appointments late Tuesday, on the eve of a major speech Parker is set to deliver to the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce during its annual mayoral luncheon Wednesday. She is expected to preview her upcoming city budget proposal, which represents a critical opportunity for Parker to advance her agenda.
“As we continue to set the foundation of this administration, we must take the time to select the most qualified, best-suited individuals for these roles — our best and brightest,” Parker said in a statement.
These are the people who will fill the new senior roles:
Michael Newmuis, who most recently served as Head of Impact at global asset management firm FS Investments, will coordinate planning for 2026 events including FIFA World Cup games and the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. Prior to FS investments, Newmuis was a top official at Visit Philadelphia, which played a major role in events including the 2017 NFL Draft, the 2016 Democratic National Convention, and 2015 Papal visit.
Rachel Branson will serve as the inaugural director of minority business success. Branson has spent most of her career as a corporate attorney and was most recently general counsel/corporate secretary at Nymbus, a financial technology platform. She’s a past president of the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia, a trade group of Black attorneys.
Darnell Thomas will be the deputy director of the Office of Minority Business Success. The Parker administration described him as “a serial entrepreneur with a passion for retail and real estate development.” Thomas opened his first business, Darn Thomas Legwear, in 1993 and has since expanded it to 18 kiosk locations and distributes to larger companies like Five Below.
West, formerly the president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Philadelphia, Delaware and New Jersey, will be the director of business roundtables. He leads a business consulting firm and has held a variety of other leadership roles, including sitting on the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on African American Males.