PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: John Roach, 313.244.7857
john@transitiondetroit.org
DUGGAN NAMES BECKHAM TO LEAD NEW
DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS
DETROIT, Michigan - Mayor-elect Mike Duggan announced today several more key
appointments to his administration, including officials who will lead the his new
Department of Neighborhood and serve as deputy chief of staff.
Charlie Beckham tapped to lead Department of Neighborhoods
To lead his effort to revitalize Detroit’s neighborhoods, Duggan has named respected
veteran city official Charles Beckham as his Group Executive for Neighborhoods. In this
role, Beckham will oversee the seven Department of Neighborhoods district offices
Duggan pledged to create during his campaign.
Beckham will also manage the city’s Buildings, Safety & Engineering services and be
responsible for generating recreation and community programming.
“To effectively bring together our fragmented city neighborhood services into one
unified Department of Neighborhoods, we needed someone who understands every
aspect of city operations and how they need to connect,” Duggan said. “We also
needed a person who has the trust of community groups and that describes Charlie
Beckham.”
A Detroiter since 1957, Beckham has been a trusted advisor for every city administration
since Mayor Coleman Young and has run nearly every city service department, including
lighting, recreation, and the water department. In 2006, Beckham led the effort to
establish the city’s General Services Department, which consolidated many aspects of
city services, improved efficiency and has saved the city an estimated $5 million per year.
Known for his keen insight and affable nature, Duggan said that Beckham is a coalition
builder who will use his civic and community connections to forge a new type of
relationship between neighborhood groups the city.
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“Our central mission will be to improve the quality of life for our residents in every
neighborhood,” Beckham said. “Through our district offices, we plan to immediately
begin addressing the blight issue, as well as code enforcement. We expect residents to
see visible change very quickly.”
Melissa Smiley named Deputy Chief of Staff
Duggan also has named Detroiter Melissa Smiley his Deputy Chief of Staff. Smiley has
served as Research Director for Duggan’s transition team and worked in a similar
capacity on his campaign.
Prior to joining Duggan’s team, Smiley was an assistant director Data Driven Detroit (D3),
a non-profit that provides accessible, high-quality information and analysis to drive
informed public and private sector decision-making. Her work at D3 coincided with her
role as a member of the inaugural class of Detroit Revitalization Fellows. This fellowship
program assigned mid-career professionals to organizations throughout Detroit to
provide additional capacity to accomplish their missions. In her role at D3, Smiley
initiated a restructuring effort that significantly improved organizational efficiency and
project management.
In her role as Deputy Chief of Staff, Smiley will support Chief of Staff Lisa Howze in
efficiently managing various city departments and the Mayor's office.
Smiley holds a PhD in Epidemiologic Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Health, as
well as a master’s degree in Urban Planning, from the University of Michigan. She
conducted her undergraduate work in Urban Studies at Bryn Mawr College, outside of
Philadelphia, PA.
Duggan also announced John Roach will serve as his Director or Communications,
continuing the role he has played in Duggan’s campaign and transition. A resident of
Detroit for the past 22 years, Roach previously served as Second Deputy Chief for the
Detroit Police Department’s Office of Public Information. He also has served previously
as Communications Director for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s
department of public services.