Mayor announces new Chief Operating Officer, staff promotions including two new Group Executives
- Former JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking CFO Marcus von Kapff to replace Brad Dick as Chief Operating Officer
- Mayor also promotes Jessica Parker to Group Executive for Public Services and LaJuan Counts to Group Executive for Construction & Building Operations
Mayor Mike Duggan today announced several key appointments and staff changes, following his announcement yesterday of Melia Howard as his new Deputy Mayor.
The Mayor has named former JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking CFO Marcus von Kapff as the city’s new Chief Operating Officer. He replaces Brad Dick, who left recently for an executive leadership role at Wayne State University.
von Kapff has spent his career building high performing businesses within large, multi-national corporations. He has managed large P&Ls and teams across strategy, finance, sales, and operations functions. He brings a focus on long-term sustainable growth, while managing risk and building an enduring culture.
von Kapff spent the last 20 years at JPMorgan in a variety of general management roles. As CFO of the Commercial Bank for the last ten years, he doubled the size of the business to $10B in revenue with 13,000 employees. Over this time, he helped the business expand to 40 countries, doubled technology investment, and implemented new CRM and data systems. He has also held roles running large sales organizations across Business Banking and Treasury Services.
Prior to JPMorgan, Marcus was the International General Manager for Transamerica Commercial Finance. He also worked at McKinsey & Co. in Los Angeles and Johannesburg, focusing on financial services. A career highlight was working in South Africa, helping to end apartheid era business practices during the Mandela presidency.
“With his level of experience and accomplishment, Marcus could have gone anywhere and made a lot of money, but his heart drew him to Detroit and public service,” said Mayor Duggan. “He is going to be a tremendous asset to this administration and to our city.”
In his new role, von Kapff will oversee the following departments:
- Detroit Water & Sewerage Department
- Building Safety, Engineering & Environmental Department
- Detroit Department of Transportation
- Detroit Fire Department
- Housing & Revitalization Department
- Detroit Housing Commission
- Department of Innovation & Technology
- Lean Team (Citywide Process Improvement)
- Human Resources
“People around the country are taking note of Detroit’s revitalization, and I am thrilled to now be a part of the team that has been doing such extraordinary work,” von Kapff said. “I look forward to working with the great leaders in each of these departments to help deliver even better results for our residents.”
von Kapff began his new role on Monday, October 21.
Andrea Taverna, who has been serving as Director of Policy and Implementation in the Mayor’s Office, has been promoted to Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Taverna has been instrumental in the management of the successful Community Violence Intervention (CVI) initiative and recent service improvements at DDOT. Taverna also led the successful effort to rework the city’s ineffective rental compliance ordinance that was approved this week by City Council.
Timothy Stark, who had been serving as Policy Advisor in the Mayor’s office, has been promoted to the role of Deputy Chief of Staff under Chief of Staff Stephanie Washington.
Mayor names 2 New Group Executives
The Mayor also announced he has promoted two members of his administration to Group Executive: Deputy Chief Operating Officer Jessica Parker and Construction & Demolition Department Director LaJuan Counts to Group Executive.
Jessica Parker will serve as Group Executive for Public Services. She has over two decades of dedicated service marked by excellence in strategic planning, project management, policy & procedure and implementation. Parker started her career in the General Services Department & Recreation until she was promoted to Chief Enforcement Officer in the Building Department in 2018. During her time in the Building Department, she oversaw the teams of attorneys, inspectors, and support staff that was responsible for holding property owners accountable for the condition of their blighted properties.
Parker has spearheaded numerous initiatives such as, managing city-wide beautification and cleanup efforts on both commercial and residential corridors. Streamlining processes for code enforcement and hosting compliance clinics for landlords, property owners, and business owners to walk them through the necessary steps to bring their properties into compliance.
Parker joined the Mayor’s Office in 2023 when asked to be the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the City of Detroit. Parker oversaw many key projects while working with external stakeholders, business owners, community leaders, and residents throughout the city.
Parker is responsible for managing special events for the city of Detroit, including the record breaking 2024 NFL Draft with over 775K attendees. The 2024 NFL Draft economic impact reached $216.6 million with a direct spend of $161.3 million within our community. “It was imperative that our minority and women owned Detroit businesses and residents had an opportunity to participate in the Draft and that our visitors had a taste of Detroit.”
Parker earned her master's in architecture from the University of Detroit Mercy while serving in the United States Coast Guard. Parker served at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit, 110 Mt. Elliot, Selfridge Air National Guard Base and Camp Perry Military base, Port Clinton, Ohio before being Honorably Discharged from her duties. As Group Executive for Public Services, Parker will oversee and provide coordination between the following city departments and agencies:
- General Services Department
- Recreation
- Arts & Culture
- Fleet and facilities maintenance
- Coleman A. Young Airport
- Municipal Parking Department
- Public Lighting Authority
- Public Lighting Department
- Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority
“I am honored to have received this opportunity and deeply grateful for the ongoing support from Mayor Duggan,” Parker said. “It fills me with pride to be part of this administration that is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the people of Detroit. Our commitment to our residents will remain unwavering as we strive to deliver top-notch public services.”
LaJuan Counts will serve as Group Executive for Construction & Building Operations. As Director of the Construction & Demolition Department, Counts has been primarily responsible for managing many major city facility construction projects, such as the restoration and relocation of the State Fair bandshell to Palmer Park and the renovation and reactivation of the Detroit Fire Department’s former Ladder 30, which was decommissioned years ago.
Counts also oversees the city’s residential and commercial demolition programs. This has included the removal of 7,000 dangerous vacant homes under Prop N, and dozens of large vacant commercial buildings that have served as impediments to progress in neighborhoods across the city. This includes the ongoing demolition of the sprawling former Packard Plant, which has sat vacant for more than 50 years. Aside from two sections on either side of Grand Boulevard, which are being saved to preserve a portion of the plant’s history, the plant will be fully demolished and gone by early 2025.
Counts, a resident of the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood, previously served as the director of the city’s General Services Department and oversaw more than 750 employees across several divisions, including park development, facilities maintenance, forestry, the city’s vehicle fleet, landscape design and project management.
As Group Executive for Construction and Building Operations, Counts will expand her portfolio, which will include the following city departments and affiliated agencies:
- Department of Public Works
- Detroit Building Authority
- Detroit Land Bank Authority
- Construction & Demolition Department
"I’m incredibly honored by this new role and grateful for Mayor Duggan’s continued support and vision for Detroit’s future," said LaJuan Counts, Group Executive for Construction and Building Operations. "It’s inspiring to see how much we can accomplish together, creating opportunities for growth and development across our city. I look forward to leading our talented teams in building a stronger, vibrant and more inclusive Detroit."
Both Parker’s and Counts’ appointments were effective Monday, October 21
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