Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker adds Vanguard exec and top city lawyer to her cabinet

Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker announced Wednesday that she’s added two top cabinet members to her administration, tapping former Vanguard executive Alba Martinez to lead the commerce department and naming city lawyer Renee Garcia her solicitor.

Both appointees have experience working in city government. Martinez — who in 2015 declined entreaties to run for mayor herself — spent four years as the commissioner of the department of human services under former Mayor John F. Street. Garcia currently leads the litigation unit in the city solicitor’s office.

Parker’s transition committee noted that both are Latinas, and that Martinez will be the first Latina and LGBTQ-identifying commerce director in city history.

The appointments are the latest additions to the top rungs of Parker’s administration, which is coming into clearer focus with fewer than two weeks until Jan. 2, when she will be sworn in. On Tuesday, Parker announced that she is retaining longtime Finance Director Rob Dubow, and she said earlier this week that three top aides will serve as her chief of staff and chief deputy mayors.

That comes in addition to her appointment last month of her police commissioner: Kevin J. Bethel, a former deputy commissioner who most recently led safety initiatives at the School District of Philadelphia.

Parker has not yet named other top members of her administration, including managing director, the person considered the city’s chief operating officer. She also has not named a chief public safety director, a new role that reports directly to the mayor.

In a statement, Parker said Martinez is “the best person to ensure that the growth of our city is truly equitable.”

Martinez’s lengthy career in Philadelphia includes work at Community Legal Services and leading Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a Kensington-based nonprofit that advocates for the city’s Latino community. She then served as president and CEO of United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and headed the city’s DHS.

» READ MORE: Philly's Latino community helped propel Cherelle Parker to victory

She later worked at Vanguard for 12 years, first as principal of its retail investor group and then as head of global talent acquisition.

“Alba brings decades of executive leadership experience in business, government, nonprofit, and cultural sectors and a deep understanding of the stakeholders the city needs to work with to ensure every resident has access to economic opportunity,” Parker said.

Garcia has worked in the city solicitor’s office since March 2021 and leads 130 staff members in the litigation unit. She led negotiations over several high-profile cases, including lawsuits filed against the city by protesters alleging police brutality and an investigation into the mishandling of remains of people killed in the MOVE bombing.

She also oversaw multiple cases related to guns, including two major suits filed this year — one against ghost gun distributors and another against gun shops the city says facilitated illegal straw purchasing.

“I can’t wait to see her apply these talents and mirror these successes for the entire legal department,” Parker said.

Before her work with the city, Garcia was a top attorney at PNC Bank.