KATIA SAINT FLEUR WINS MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE COUNCIL RACE
Katia Saint Fleur became the first Haitian American elected to the Miami Shores Village Council. She brings more than 15 years of government and community experience to the role. Saint Fleur’s grassroots campaign focused on empowering women and people of color to become more involved in local government.
WPB NAMES DR. PHILIP C. HARRIS ASSISTANT TO CITY ADMINISTRATOR
West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James announced the selection of Dr. Philip C. Harris to serve as assistant to the city administrator. In this role, Dr. Harris will oversee the City’s Community and Business Services, which include the Departments of Housing and Community Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Library, Office of Economic Opportunity, and ArtLife WPB.
Harris brings to the city 18 years of diversified government experience and a background in civic engagement, strategic planning, human services, public policy, emergency management, grant management, budget management, community and business development, and volunteer management.
Harris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree from the University of South Florida and a Master’s and Doctor of Business Administration degree from Argosy University. Harris is the South Florida Chapter President of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and a member of the Florida City and County Management Association and the International City/County Management Association. He was also recently recognized as 2020 ICMA International Honorary Member of the Year and 2021 FCCMA Who’s Who Under 40 Award Honoree.
West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James announced the selection of Dr. Philip C. Harris to serve as assistant to the city administrator. In this role, Dr. Harris will oversee the City’s Community and Business Services, which include the Departments of Housing and Community Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Library, Office of Economic Opportunity, and ArtLife WPB.
Harris brings to the city 18 years of diversified government experience and a background in civic engagement, strategic planning, human services, public policy, emergency management, grant management, budget management, community and business development, and volunteer management.
He has held positions with the City of Clearwater, City of St. Petersburg, United Way Suncoast, Hillsborough County, Broward County, PME Development Consulting, LLC in Tamarac, Fla., and Broward County Public Schools.
Harris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree from the University of South Florida and a Master’s and Doctor of Business Administration degree from Argosy University. Harris is the South Florida Chapter President of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and a member of the Florida City and County Management Association and the International City/County Management Association. He was also recently recognized as 2020 ICMA International Honorary Member of the Year and 2021 FCCMA Who’s Who Under 40 Award Honoree.
FORMER CITY OF MIRAMAR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER LANDS CITY MANAGER POSITION IN COLLEGE PARK, GA.
Natasha S. Hampton has been selected city manager for the City of College Park, Ga. She will be the first woman and first person of color to serve as the city’s chief executive.
Hampton comes to College Park with more than 23 years of management experience in municipal government. In her previous position as assistant city manager of the City of Rocky Mount, NC, Hampton guided more than 600 employees and managed a budget exceeding $45 million. Prior to her arrival at Rocky Mount, Hampton served as assistant city manager and acting city manager for the City of Miramar.
Hampton is a credentialed city manager by the International City/County Management Association, a member of the National League of Cities, Women in Municipal Government, and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.
HIKEEM BANKS HIRED AS HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR IN PALM BEACH COUNTY
Hikeem Banks has been named athletic director at Inlet Grove Community High School in West Palm Beach. He has served as a coach and teacher in the Palm Beach County School District for nearly nine years.
Banks is the founder of Balanced Living Mentorship Program, a non-profit organization striving to help students discover their identity by balancing life and building positive character to reaching their full potential.
FELECIA HATCHER TO HEAD PHARRELL’S NEW NON-PROFIT TO SUPPORT MINORITY ENTREPRENEURS
Felecia Hatcher has been named the founding CEO of Black Ambition, a new Miamibased non-profit initiative launched by Grammy Award-winning singer Pharrell Williams.
Hatcher is the cofounder of Code Fever, established to teach Black students how to code and build a diverse generation of technology workers. She also cofounded BlackTech Week, a national conference focused on bridging the gap between minority entrepreneurs and large tech insiders.
“Excited to lead this! Excited to be in a position to directly fund founders,” Hatcher shared on Facebook. “After seven years working to build Miami’s tech and startup community … it’s hard to leave your baby, so this is bittersweet.”
Black Ambition will fund and support projects and companies started by Black and Latinx founders through a series of national prizes. The organization will identify and directly fund promising founders who build tech, design, health care, and consumer product startups.
SANDRA CUMPER NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NAMI BROWARD COUNTY
Sandra Cumper now serves as the executive director of NAMI Broward County, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Cumper has more than 20 years of experience working in health and human services and has worked with individuals diagnosed with mental health or substance abuse, and individuals facing homelessness.
In her earlier role as a forensic mental health specialist, Cumper served individuals with mental health challenges who were involved in the judicial system and committed to forensic state hospitals. She also worked with severely mentally ill inmates in Broward County jails.
Before joining NAMI, Cumper served as Crisis Intervention Training manager for Broward County, facilitating mental health training for first responders.
Cumper holds a Master of Science degree in mental health counseling from Palm Beach Atlantic University and is a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University.
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