Thursday Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced new senior staff appointments: Heather Fagan as Chief of Staff, Kevin Edmonds as Chief Administrative Officer and FJ Flynn as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer.
These appointments will be effective January 27, 2020, pending appropriate City Council confirmation.
Mayor Dyer is appointing Heather Fagan to the role of Chief of Staff. Fagan has served in municipal government for more than 14 years and as Deputy Chief of Staff for the last eight years. Through her extensive experience, she has led the strategic communications for several transformational projects for Orlando, including the approval and construction of the Community Venues, the revitalization of downtown and Parramore, the growth of the Medical City in Lake Nona and the creation of Orlando’s 10 Main Street Districts. She is also responsible for launching the city’s social media efforts across multiple platforms. One of her greatest contributions to the city was following the Pulse tragedy, when she led the City of Orlando’s communications response. As Chief of Staff, Fagan will continue to advise on strategic communications and serve as a liaison between the Office of the Mayor, City Commissioners and community partners, identifying emerging issues and policy initiatives of importance to the city and citizens of Orlando, and advising on ways to address them.
Mayor Dyer also announced that Kevin Edmonds, Acting Chief Administrative Officer, is being appointed to Chief Administrative Officer. Edmonds has been with the city for 30 years, rising through the ranks to lead a variety of city Departments and Divisions, including Solid Waste, Human Resources, Economic Development and Fleet and Facilities. Edmonds has served previously as the Deputy Chief Administrator since 2008 and most recently in the capacity of Acting Chief Administrative Officer since December 2018.
Additionally, Mayor Dyer announced the appointment of FJ Flynn as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. Flynn started working for the city 19 years ago as a Planner 1 in Transportation Planning. Over the years, Flynn has risen through the ranks working in many capacities and within several city departments. Flynn served as the Division Manager of the Transportation Planning Division, Deputy Director of Economic Development, Deputy Director of the Transportation Department and most recently, in the role of Acting Deputy CAO.