Miami-Dade County Mayor announces new leadership within her senior staff and the Miami-Dade Office of Resilience

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced today changes within the senior staff at the Office of the Mayor, as well as in the Miami-Dade Office of Resilience.    

Due to staff transfers, these personnel moves will provide continuity and additional capacity for Miami-Dade’s intergovernmental and resilience leadership teams, as we continue to increase collaboration across our 34 municipalities and 28 departments and prepare our County for a more resilient future.  

“Working collaboratively with cities and County departments has been a top priority for me as Mayor,” said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Each of these hires will facilitate cooperation and produce meaningful results. Miami-Dade County has dynamic professionals and I look forward to their leadership as we continue engaging with our residents, businesses and government partners to build a more resilient and future ready Miami-Dade.”     

All leadership changes listed below will be fully in effect by Monday, March 5, 2024:  

• Tomas Alcala, Governmental & Community Manager for the Office of the Mayor, will now take on the role of Interim Deputy Chief of Staff. He will report directly to Chief of Staff Johanna Cervone. Alcala has several years of experience in legislative affairs, governmental relations, and community outreach. In his current role, Alcala led a cross-departmental working group to access state and federal funding, allowing Miami-Dade to pull down over $1 billion in matching funds for critical infrastructure projects. He holds a B.A. from Florida International University.  

• Jim Murley, Miami-Dade's first Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), will transition to a Senior Resilience Advisor role within the Office of Resilience, ahead of his full retirement. As CRO he helped guide the County’s Resilient 305 Strategy. Murley has spent over five decades working on public policy issues important to Florida founding the 1000 Friends of Florida, serving as Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs under Governor Lawton Chiles working on comprehensive planning, economic development, energy and emergency management issues and sitting on various state commissions including the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Florida Communities Trust and the Chair of the Florida Energy and Climate Commission. He also served as Director of Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions and Executive Director of South Florida Regional Planning Council.  

• Patricia Gómez, Ph.D., PE, CEM, GBE, LEED AP, Director of Energy and Deputy Chief Resilience Officer will become the interim Chief Resilience Officer for Miami-Dade County. Dr. Gómez has over 20 years of experience working on engineering, management, resilience, and sustainability-related programs in both the public sector and private industries. She began her career with Miami-Dade County as an Engineer with the Department of Environmental Resources Management and worked at the Water and Sewer Department before her role with the Office of Sustainability and now the Office of Resilience. She led the development of the County’s Climate Action Strategy, Building Efficiency 305 voluntary Program, and installation of solar systems in County facilities. Dr. Gomez holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami, an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Florida International University, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Universidad America. Dr. Gómez is a Professional Engineer in the State of Florida and holds numerous accreditations in engineering, energy, and sustainability fields. 

• Loren Parra, who has been Senior Director of Communications for Mayor Cava since 2022, will now take on the role of Chief Bay and Water Resources Officer, working within the Office of Resilience. Parra is a seasoned stakeholder manager, specializing in science/environmental communications. She’s spearheaded civic initiatives including Thrive305 and the launch of the Biscayne Bay specialty license plate at The Miami Foundation. She previously served as the Regional Director for former United States Senator Bill Nelson and managed a $10M competitive grant program for innovative water quality technologies at The Everglades Foundation. Parra holds both a B.A. in Political Science and Sustainability Studies and an M.B.A. from the University of Florida.    

• Natalia Jaramillo, veteran communications and bilingual media professional, will now serve as Communications Director for the Office of the Mayor, after serving as Deputy Communications Director since 2021. Natalia has led communications strategy and bilingual media relations for over 20 years, including over a decade working with local, statewide, and national community organizations in South Florida. She has extensive experience in running advocacy, civic engagement, and electoral campaigns, and in advocating for and working with diverse groups in South Florida. She is originally from Colombia and holds a B.A. in Communications from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá and an M.A. in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies – The Hague, The Netherlands. 

• Stefanie Sass joins Miami-Dade County as the Chief of Staff to Chief Operations Officer, Jimmy Morales. In this role, Stefanie will coordinate the critical infrastructure operations of Chief Morales’ portfolio, including Aviation, Port, Water and Sewer, and Transportation and Public Works. Stefanie brings an extensive background in public affairs, most recently serving as the Director of Congressional Affairs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a Presidential appointment. Prior to this position, she worked on state and national political campaigns, and founded a private firm which provided organizational strategy, board development, government relations, and fundraising leadership for both public and nonprofit sector clients. Sass is a proud graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Public Affairs and Environmental Management.