Community Leader Carl Lavender joins Welch administration.
ST. PETERSBURG — Mayor Ken Welch has named Carl R. Lavender, Jr. interim chief equity officer for the City of St. Petersburg. Lavender brings more than three decades of non-profit executive and senior management experience and nearly 20 years of experience in systems change leadership to the position. He most recently served as interim co-CEO and CEO at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg.
“Carl is a transformational leader and advocate in our community whose expertise will help us advance equity and inclusive progress at the city, in partnership with community stakeholders,” said Mayor Welch. “His vast experience, historical knowledge of the community, and breadth of equity efforts will be valuable as we move forward with establishing this office.”
For years, Lavender has worked in partnership with equity-focused community innovations that intersect with the city’s portfolio of initiatives: he served as a co-chair of the 2020 Plan, a seven-year poverty reduction plan funded by the city, Allegany Franciscan Ministries Foundation and others.
He was a founding steering committee member for Agenda 2010, a multi-sector collaboration of leaders whose advocacy inspired the creation of the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area, where Lavender resides, and he served as a steering committee member for the Grow Smarter initiative.
“I am excited by the possibilities and the outcomes of smart, well-thought-out plans of action supporting Mayor Welch and the entire equity community,” said Carl Lavender. “This is a compelling opportunity to guide the next steps for two significant studies (2021 Structural Racism Study and 2023 Employee Climate Study) that, after follow through, will position the city for successful outcomes in equity.”
Reporting directly to Mayor Welch’s Chief of Staff, Jordan “Doyle” Walsh, Lavender will serve as a member of the mayor’s cabinet or executive team and will oversee education and youth opportunity efforts and the Office of Community Impact. Lavender’s first day with the city is Tuesday, Nov. 14.
A native Midwesterner with deep roots in Cleveland, Columbus, and Chicago, Lavender relocated to St. Petersburg in 1999 and has since helped develop and lead strategy and organizational development for some of Pinellas County’s largest non-profit and philanthropic organizations.
Lavender’s most recent roles include serving as interim co-CEO and CEO at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and as founding Director of the Office of Workforce Innovation for Pinellas Technical College. During his tenure at the Foundation, Lavender was responsible for a grantmaking strategy that significantly increased participation from community leaders and advocates and grew the number of grants made to grassroots organizations led by people of color.
Lavender was also responsible for economic equity strategies such as the Anchor Institution Initiative, a first-time collaboration among four of the city’s largest institutions, including the City of St. Petersburg, to expand economic opportunity access for south St. Petersburg residents. He also led special projects that included advocacy for the creation of the $30 million Pinellas CARES initiative, the Pinellas Race Equity Leadership Council, and Takin’ it to the Streets, a Foundation-funded project to raise awareness around the City’s Structural Racism Study.
Lavender has served as a board member and officer of local, state, and national organizations in diverse mission fields that include race equity, economic development, human services, youth enrichment, and philanthropy. His contributions include service as a senior consultant to the Pinellas Education Foundation for the development of a master plan for high school career academies, as a loaned executive to United Way of Tampa Bay (now Suncoast), and as a board member of Allegany, the Blue Ridge Southern Leadership Institute, the St. Petersburg Innovation District, and Pinellas Opportunity Council.
He has also led and served on advisory councils for the Florida Philanthropic Network, Springfield College, the Museum of Fine Arts, the African American Arts Council Midtown, and Habitat for Humanity.
Noted for his moderation and facilitation skills, Lavender has represented post-secondary institutions and philanthropic organizations on local and national panels and has keynoted and moderated numerous panels and town halls on race equity.
A father of two and grandfather of one, Lavender holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Ohio State University and a Master of Science degree in Human Services – Non-Profit Organizational Management from Springfield College, Mass. His credentials include the National Diversity Council’s DiversityFIRST certification and designation as a Courageous Conversation Protocol Beyond Race Affiliate Practitioner after completing extensive training by the Pacific Educational Group.
