PHOTO VIA CITY OF ORLANDO FACEBOOK PAGE
Lillian Payne (LinkedIn), director of the City of Orlando’s Economic Development Department, has resigned effective Tuesday, September 8, according to an internal email from Mayor Buddy Dyer to city employees and program leads.
Payne is leaving after nearly 20 years with the city to take a position in the private sector. She previously served in the city’s Planning Division and later led the Business Development and Permitting Services divisions before becoming Economic Development director.
Mike Hess (LinkedIn) will serve as interim director of the Economic Development Department, effective Wednesday, September 9. Hess has spent the past seven years as the city’s Director of Sustainability, Resilience and Future-Ready City Initiative. He is a licensed mechanical engineer with private-sector experience in large-scale development, permitting, and building code processes. He will oversee the department’s five divisions: Permitting Services, Planning, Code Enforcement, Business Development, and the Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency.
Dr. Brittany Sellers (LinkedIn) will step into Hess’s former role as acting director of Sustainability, Resilience and Future-Ready City Initiative, also effective September 9. Sellers has worked for the city for nearly 11 years.
Several additional changes will take effect October 1. David Barilla (LinkedIn) will become deputy director of the Economic Development Department while continuing as executive director of the Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency. He will oversee the Business Development, Planning, and DDB/CRA divisions. Barilla joined the city in 2010 as an Economic Development Coordinator.
Justin Eason (LinkedIn) will serve as acting division manager of the DDB/CRA, overseeing day-to-day operations. Eason joined the city nearly five years ago as Nighttime Economy Manager and currently serves as assistant director of the DDB/CRA.
The city is also creating a new Office of Placemaking within the Chief Administrative Office, to be led by current Placemaking Director Sherry Gutch. The office will consolidate oversight of several city initiatives and public spaces, including Lake Eola Park, Luminary Green, the Downtown South Neighborhood Improvement District, Creative Village, the Public Art Program, See Art Orlando, the Downtown Clean Team and Ambassador Program, the future Canopy project and the Pulse Memorial. According to the email, the transition is expected to take several months, with some functions shifting on October 1 and others on January 1.
In the email, Dyer said the changes are intended to strengthen city operations, improve coordination across departments, and create cost savings.
