Orlando Cares
Chief Service Officer's Letter

Dear Citizens and Colleagues:

Welcome to the City of Orlando's Office of  Community Affairs Web site. We hope you find our site informative and user-friendly.

Our site is designed to help you understand the services that our office provides and to link you to information that is valuable to our City residents, business owners, organizations and visitors. Our staff works diligently to inform, engage and connect with all sectors of the public in an effort to raise awareness, acquire resources and gain support of our city’s priorities, programs, services and needs through partnerships and outstanding customer service. Our efforts are focused in several important areas: Orlando Cares: Mayor Buddy Dyer’s Cities of Service  Program, Mayor's Matching Grant Program, Arts & Cultural Affairs, Human Relations, Community Service/Human Service and Civic Organizations and the city’s Volunteer Program. Each of our program services is described here with our staff’s contact information.

As Orlando’s Chief Service Officer I lead the Office of Community Affairs,  working with the Mayor, City Commissioners and City staff to develop and implement the City's community relations mission and implement Orlando Cares: Orlando’s high-impact service plan. Our staff serves as the City’s liaison to the arts/cultural, human service, civic and non-profit sectors and manages the City’s funding to support community, arts and human service organizations that partner with the city to improve our quality of life. Before joining the city’s leadership team in 1992, I served as Public Information Director for Miami’s WLRN Public Radio and Television; staff writer and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel and founding editor of the Orlando Times newspaper.

Each year, our office co-hosts Mayor Buddy Dyer’s Annual Neighborhood and Community Summit, bringing together neighborhood, arts & cultural, civic, community-based and faith-based organization leaders to gain insights on innovative and exciting city initiatives, discuss community building best practices and create partnerships that contribute to our vibrant city. Our goal is to help our citizens connect, engage and inspire! Please click-on the Mayor’s Community Builder Award application to nominate an outstanding organization or individual for this prestigious annual award, which is presented at the Mayor’s Summit.

My staff and I look forward to working with our residents and organizations to enhance and sustain our city’s quality of life. If you have questions, please email me by clicking on my name below or by emailing any member of our helpful staff. Remember, to “get in touch and get involved…we’re here to help!”