City Of Louisville: Mayor Fischer Announces Changes To Metro Government Leadership

Press release from the City of Louisville:

September 23, 2021

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Mayor Greg Fischer today announced appointments for several Metro Government officials and a slight realignment to the city’s agency reporting structure.

Keith Talley, who currently serves as the Mayor’s Strategic Operations Officer, will become the city’s new Chief of Community Building. Talley previously led the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) from 2014 - 2021, and in his role as Strategic Operations Officer, Talley implements the city’s strategic priorities with an emphasis on advancing racial equity.

“Keith has been an incredibly valuable member of our team, and through his hard work and leadership, he successfully navigated our APCD through an agency reorganization resulting in a more efficient, effective and trustworthy city department,” said the Mayor. “We have no doubt that Keith will bring these same skills and a love of Louisville to the table as Chief.”

“I am challenged, inspired and humbled by this opportunity and look forward to building upon the good work we’ve done and the partnerships we’ve created,” said Talley. “I want to thank the Mayor for his confidence in me, and can’t wait to embrace this new opportunity to serve the community I call home.”

As Chief of Community Building, Talley will continue to oversee the Group Violence Intervention initiative and will supervise departments including the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN), Metro Parks and Recreation, Resilience and Community Services (RCS), and APCD. APCD will continue it’s work with Louisville Forward, and under the Chief of Community Building, will focus even more on environmental justice.

As Talley transitions into the Chief role on October 1, some Metro agency reporting will be realigned.

The Zoo will report up to Katie Dailinger, Deputy Chief of Staff, to further align with her education portfolio that includes overseeing the Louisville Free Public Library and serving as the Mayor’s appointee to The Kentucky Science Center Board and LMG’s liaison to Jefferson County Public Schools.

Youth Transportation Services, formerly Youth Detention Services, will report up to Matt Golden, the city’s Chief of Public Safety.

Chief Vincent James, who is departing LMG to become the President and CEO of Dare to Care, will continue servings at the city’s faith liaison and as a member of OSHN’s Advisory Committee.

Additional personnel moves:

After serving as the Mayor’s Director of Communications for nearly four years, Jean Porter will move to a part-time press assistant role. Porter has been an integral part of the Mayor’s Communications team since 2015, serving though a global pandemic and marches for racial justice. Jessica Wethington, who currently serves as Deputy Director of Communications and helps run the day-to-day operations of the office, will become Director of Communications effective November 1. Wethington joined the city in 2013 and has served in communications roles for Codes and Regs, Planning and Design Services, and Louisville Forward.

Dondré Jefferson, Interim Director for Group Violence Intervention, will become the full-time Director of the initiative. Jefferson previously held the role of Performance Analyst with the Metro Parks Department and stepped into the GVI role earlier this year.

Michael Meeks, the city’s current Director of the Office of Equity, will step in as Interim Chief of Equity. He will continue the office’s work around transparency, ensuring American Rescue Plan funds are equitably distributed and focusing on progress in the area of equity in government procurement and contracting. Meeks will also oversee the Human Relations Commission and the reconciliation and Lean into Louisville projects. Meeks started his career with city in 2016 as Director of Records Compliance in the Office of Management and Budget.

This press release was produced by the City of Louisville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.