St. Pete’s 1st Chief Equity Officer Resigns After One Month: Report

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Petersburg’s first chief equity officer has resigned from the role, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Lenice C. Emanuel stepped down from the role, effective immediately, after less than one month on the job.

The social justice champion and nonprofit leader was hired at the end of September. Her first day was Oct. 2.

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“Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the City’s Chief Equity Officer,” Emanuel wrote to Mayor Ken Welch in a brief resignation letter. “Wishing you and your team the very best in your future endeavors.”

With more than 25 years in nonprofit management, government, fund development, and community relations, she most recently served as the executive director of the Alabama Institute for Social Justice, a statewide agency focused on racial justice and reconciliation across the state of Alabama, before moving to St. Petersburg.

The chief equity officer role, announced in May, was created in response to the Structural Racism Study conducted by the city in 2021 and to support the mayor’s focus on inclusive progress.
In that position, Emanuel was tasked with ensuring that equity and inclusion are fully integrated into city government policies, procedures and practices in collaboration with community stakeholders, the city said in a news release.

Patch has reached out to the city and Emanuel for comment and has requested a copy of her resignation letter.