Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Announces New Senior Staff Appointments

Last updated on January 15, 2020

January 15, 2020 – Orlando, FL – Today, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced four new senior staff appointments to help further the City of Orlando’s shared vision of working together to continue building a city where everyone can live and thrive. 

These include appointing Frank Billingsley as Director of Placemaking and Competitiveness, Heather Fagan as Chief of Staff, Kevin Edmonds as Chief Administrative Officer and FJ Flynn as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. 

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with Frank, Heather, Kevin and FJ in their new roles and our community partners to ensure that Orlando continues to be the best city to live, work, play and visit,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. 

Mayor Dyer is appointing Frank Billingsley, who has served as the Chief of Staff for the last decade, to a new role in the Office of the Mayor, as the Director of Placemaking and Competitiveness.  

As Orlando strives to continue to strengthen the economic competitiveness of the city through increased vitality and authentic experiences, a need was identified to create this new position of Director of Placemaking and Competitiveness.  Key to this new role will be a strategic focus on identifying innovative approaches, priorities and enhancements within the city to ensure Orlando surpasses peer cities in overall experience and supports attracting and growing high-value jobs that further diversify the local economy.  This position will also focus on bringing together public and private resources to create and activate public spaces and create unique experiences to further generate economic development and enhanced quality of life for the citizens and customers of the city. 

In this new role, Billingsley will leverage his passion and more than 30 years of experience in the field of economic development to further elevate Orlando.  Through his previous positions with the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce and the City of Orlando, including Director of Permitting Services, Downtown Development Board Director, Economic Development Director and as Chief of Staff, Billingsley has helped to shape and develop the Orlando of today.  Building on these efforts, Billingsley will help the city look to the future, using placemaking as a cornerstone for the next stages of Orlando’s economic development and growth. 

With Billingsley’s transition into this new role, 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.  

These appointments will be effective January 27, 2020, pending appropriate City Council confirmation.

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