INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is making changes to his cabinet in 2021.
The mayor announced Wednesday he is making two new appointments for cabinet positions. Taylor Schaffer will be appointed chief deputy mayor and serve as Mayor Hogsett’s chief of staff, effective Jan. 1, 2021. Judith Thomas will be appointed deputy mayor of neighborhood engagement, effective Jan. 18
Schaffer currently serves as Hogsett's deputy chief of staff. In her current role, she manages all messaging and communications for Hogsett and the executive branch departments as the senior policy advisor. She has previously been the communications director for the mayor's office.
Schaffer will succeed Thomas Cook, who has served as chief deputy mayor and chief of staff since January 2016.
Thomas currently runs a consulting firm that focuses on arts, culture and tourism, and is a community scholar of Africana studies at IUPUI. She was previously the president of the Madam Walker Legacy Center. She has decades of work experience with Indianapolis organizations and businesses, including Visit Indy, Emmis Communications, and the Indiana Convention Center.
Thomas succeeds Dr. David Hampton, who has served as Deputy Mayor since the beginning of the Hogsett Administration in 2016.
"I am excited to announce two major appointments of experienced women who will help guide our city as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mayor Hogsett. "Their leadership will be essential as we work toward making Indianapolis more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous. I also want to thank the dedicated public servants they replace, who have made an indelible impact on Indianapolis over the past five years."
