PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced the latest in an ongoing series of significant personnel announcements today, as the Parker administration continues to fill important roles essential to helping the mayor implement her vision of a Safer, Cleaner, Greener Philadelphia, with Economic Opportunity for All. More announcements are expected next week.  

“Today we are announcing a series of important personnel appointments across government to the Parker administration,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said. “These appointments to new positions in my administration reflect my priorities and vision which I laid out during my campaign for Mayor. We’re also announcing a series of appointments of individuals who have served or are currently serving in Philadelphia government and these talented civil servants will continue their great work for the people of our city under my administration.” 

“As I’ve said all along, we’re being purposeful and deliberate with our decisions, because it’s vitally important to me and my senior team that we put the right people in the right positions to best serve our customers – the citizens of Philadelphia,” Mayor Parker said. “We want to attract the best and the brightest to serve our residents, and sometimes, the best talent is right here in the government already as we build an exceptionally diverse administration that is built to deliver for the people of Philadelphia.”   

Today, Mayor Parker made the following appointments to the Parker administration:  

New Positions and Appointments  

• Kristin Bray, Chief Legal Counsel, Office of the Mayor and Director of PhillyStat 360. Bray will serve as Chief Legal Counsel to Mayor Parker, her Chief of Staff, her Chief Deputy Mayors and her office while spearheading the Mayor’s initiative, PhillyStat 360 which will provide line of sight and wrap-around integration for all city services to ensure that Philadelphians have a government they can see, touch and feel. Bray, currently 1st Deputy City Solicitor, has extensive experience advising on quality of life, infrastructure safety, nuisance abatement, and code enforcement. Bray will continue to report to the City Solicitor but will counsel the Mayor and senior staff full-time on the kinds of issues essential to the Mayor’s goals of a safer, cleaner and greener city for all.  

• Camille Duchaussee, Chief Administrative Officer. Duchaussee will serve as the Parker administration’s Chief Administrative Officer, working to create a vision and plan to enhance communication within the city’s workforce and workspace, to optimize operation processes, and to foster a collaborative, respectful and equality-centered work environment. Duchaussee currently serves as deputy director in the city’s Department of Labor, has over three decades as a public servant, including serving with the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Prisons, and fully appreciates the significance of the work of city employees on the lives of Philadelphians.  

• Aparna Palantino, Director, Capital Projects Office. Palantino will head a new Office for Mayor Parker, focusing on major capital projects moving forward in city government, including Rebuild. The Capital Projects Office will provide leadership and expertise for oversight of Capital Budget Planning and Project implementation for city agencies. Palantino previously served the City as a Deputy Commissioner for Capital Infrastructure in the Parks & Recreation Department and has 23 years of public service. Palantino was born in India, and has made her home in Philadelphia for the last 25 years.  

• Danielle Gardner Wright, Chief Integrity Officer. As Chief Integrity Officer, Danielle Gardner Wright will be responsible for counseling the Mayor and Mayor’s Office on ethics and integrity issues. Gardner Wright, Esq., is currently Director of Training and Outreach for the Philadelphia Board of Ethics, and was a staff attorney prior to that. Her work includes providing guidance and advice to city employees and external stakeholders, such as lobbyists and candidates for elective office.   

• Hassan Freeman, Director, Neighborhood and Community Engagement. Freeman’s new position aligns with the Mayor’s vision for a government that is not only safer, cleaner and greener, but which is responsive to its customers – residents. Freeman will help build neighborhood coalitions and lead engagement among Youth, Black Males, Women and other groups. Freeman is currently Director of Community Engagement for the Office of Criminal Justice & Public Safety. 

• John Mondlak, Interim Director, Dept. Of Planning and Development. Mondlak is Interim Director of the city’s Department of Planning and Development, an agency focused on city planning, housing development, and other issues central to Mayor Parker’s vision for Philadelphia neighborhoods. Mondlak managed the Development Services program in the Commerce Department for five years, and prior to that, served as a deputy city solicitor for over a decade, supervising real estate and economic development issues.  

• Kafi Lindsay, Director, Strategic Partnerships. Lindsay is heading a new Office of Strategic Partnerships for Mayor Parker. The Office of Strategic Partnerships was created to take a comprehensive view of the city’s needs and resources, and then to mobilize support of the private, non-profit and philanthropic sectors in the Philadelphia region. Lindsay previously served in the banking industry for several financial institutions, and also served  in a previous city administration. 

• Casey Kuklick, Deputy Director, Clean and Green Initiative.  Kuklick will serve as Deputy Director under Director Carlton Williams of the Clean and Green Initiative, an important promise of Mayor Parker to the people of Philadelphia. This new office is further detailed in the Mayor’s 100-Day Action Plan. Kuklick was previously chief of staff at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 

Reappointments  

• Dominick Mireles, Director, Office of Emergency Management. The Mayor is reappointing Mireles, Director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management. Mireles oversees all aspects of the City’s planning for, response to, and recovery from emergencies, disasters, and complex planned public events, working jointly with other city, state, federal and non-governmental entities.  Mireles has served as director of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) since his appointment in April 2022, and has been with OEM for over nine years.  

• Vanessa Garrett Harley, Director, Office of Children and Families. Garrett Harley will continue to oversee the Office of Children and Families (OCF), which includes Department of Human Services (DHS), Parks and Recreation, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. OCF prioritizes keeping children safe and families strong – central priorities of Mayor Parker and her administration. Garrett Harley, Esq. has served the City of Philadelphia for over 24 years in an array of important positions focused on children and families.  

“As we make these appointments, I want people to know that talent and lived life experience are important factors in our decision process, and so are leadership and chemistry,” Mayor Parker said. “We’re seeking private sector expertise as well, and bringing it into the public sector. We feel the fierce urgency of now as we build out the Parker administration to serve our customers, and further important announcements are on the way.”