Kaohly Her, the newly sworn-in mayor of St. Paul, has announced several key hires who will serve as top staffers in her administration, including four assistant mayors.
Her will ditch precedent and abandon the traditional mayor/deputy mayor structure, opting instead to split city operations under the general purview of the four assistant mayors chosen from her transition team and former campaign staff.
The closest to a traditional deputy mayor is Erica Schumacher, a lifelong St. Paul resident and former staffer under former Mayor Chris Coleman and the Minnesota Senate DFL. Schumacher, who most recently worked in the office of Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, will be senior assistant mayor for Safety and Justice, overseeing the city attorney’s office, police, fire and emergency medical services, Emergency Management and the Office of Neighborhood Safety.
Nick Stumo-Langer will serve as assistant mayor for Housing, Economic Vibrancy and Infrastructure, overseeing Planning and Economic Development, Safety and Inspections, Public Works, Financial Services, the Office of Financial Empowerment, and Equal Economic Opportunity/Procurement. He has held staff positions with the Minnesota House DFL, Minneapolis City Council, Minneapolis Election and Voter Services, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and multiple campaigns.
Jodi Pfarr will serve as assistant mayor for People and Neighborhood Vitality, overseeing Parks and Recreation, Libraries, Water, Human Resources, the Office of Technology and Communications, and Human Rights. Pfarr, president of J Pfarr Consulting, is the former executive director of Emma Norton Services, a nonprofit that provides housing for homeless women and families. She has consulted for or held roles within the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and the Ramsey County Attorney’s office. She is a former chaplain with the St. Paul Police Department.
Hnu Vang, Her’s former campaign director, will be the assistant mayor for Staff and Strategic Partnerships, effectively serving as chief of staff and director of operations within the mayor’s office. Vang work experience includes staffing Minnesota House DFL Leadership, the Minnesota Senate DFL, the Office of Congressman Dean Phillips, the Office of Congresswoman Angie Craig, and multiple political campaigns.
Irene Kao will serve as city attorney. Kao recently led the legal team at the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency as it implemented the state’s $1.3 billion affordable housing package in 2023. She previously worked for the League of Minnesota Cities, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Minneapolis law firm of Goetz & Eckland and Macalester College, where she was an assistant dean of students. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member with the Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Cedrick Baker will lead the Office of Neighborhood Safety. Baker, who was recently the chief of staff for the McKnight Foundation, is a former chief of staff for the St. Paul Public Schools and equity manager for the Metropolitan Council. He is a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership at the University of Minnesota.
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Marcus Owens will be the director of the Office of Financial Empowerment. Owens is the founder of Nawe, Inc., a financial and strategic planning consulting firm for nonprofits, which has worked closely with the Pohlad Family Foundation, Girls on the Run MN, African Economic Development Solutions, the GroundBreak Coalition and other agencies. He was previously the chief executive officer of the African American Leadership Forum and the Northside Economic Opportunity Network, as well as an employee relations consultant at Target.
Matt Wagenius, Her’s campaign spokesperson, will serve as executive director of Public Affairs and Communications. He is a former staffer with the Minnesota House DFL, Gov. Tim Walz and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. He runs North Star Digital, which provides communications and fundraising consulting for Democratic political campaigns across the country.
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