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Changes are coming to the City of Mobile’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability as Lance Slater has been tapped to succeed Casi Callaway, Alabama’s first Chief Resilience Officer. Callaway (right) is taking on a new role as the Director of Operations and Member Services for the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN).
Mayor Sandy Stimpson made history with his appointment of Callaway in 2021 — making Mobile the first city in the state to create a dedicated resilience office tasked with incorporating resilience and sustainability into the city’s projects, initiatives, and long-term goals. Over the last three years, Callaway has worked with departments across the city and community partners to implement new programs and initiatives focused on resilience, litter abatement, recycling, emergency management, and more.
“For more than three decades, Casi Callaway has been focused on making this community stronger and better, and we are grateful to have worked alongside her over the last few years,” Stimpson said. “I have no doubt she will continue to serve her hometown in her new position with SSDN, and we wish her nothing but the best going forward. We are also committed to continuing the work we started with her to ensure the City of Mobile continues to thrive decades into the future.”
Callaway is joining an organization supporting more than 120 local governments with sustainability and resilience leaders like herself. In her new position, Callaway will join SSND’s mission to provide resources, tools, and connections to support the widespread adoption of equity-centered sustainability and resilience best practices. In essence, Callaway will be taking the knowledge she has gained working with the City of Mobile and sharing it with other communities looking to build resilience into their operations.
“Mayor Stimpson and the City of Mobile provided an incredible opportunity to learn how local government works and what resilience and sustainability can mean for a community,” Callaway said. “I am looking forward to supporting local governments as they build out sustainability and resilience programs in their communities across the southeast. I am also grateful to SSDN for the opportunity to remain a Mobilian and to continue supporting the great things happening in our city in this new role.”
With Slater taking over, the Office of Resilience and Sustainability will have a familiar face at the helm moving forward. Slater (left) has been a project manager with the City of Mobile for more than three year and will now serve as the Director of Resilience and Sustainability. He will start following Callaway’s last day on May 31.
“It’s exciting to see resilience being embedded into the city’s operations, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to lead the effort,” Slater said. “Implementing a Resilience Plan for Mobile will be a significant undertaking, but I have learned a lot working on complex and transformative projects throughout my time with the city. I am ready to make a larger impact through my service to the community."
Once fully transitioned to his new role, Slater will be picking up where Callaway left off. One of his first tasks will be working with community members, local stakeholders, and local agencies to develop and implement a Resilience Plan based on the Resilience Assessment completed in late 2023.
“Lance has proven he can tackle major projects through his work on big initiatives like Brookley by the Bay and the Three Mile Creek Watershed Restoration Project,” Stimpson said. “He is prepared to step into this position and lead, and we appreciate his willingness to take on new challenges and serve the people of Mobile in a new capacity.”