Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield has named David Bowser, who served on her mayoral campaign and is one of the leaders of Sheffield’s transition effort.
Sheffield’s cabinet is coming together after the announcement of her deputy mayor last week; her longtime city council chief of staff Brian White.
Bowser was a mainstay at Sheffield’s mayoral events and press announcements throughout the race, serving as senior policy advisor. He is the transition team’s director of transition operations.
Sheffield says he will “operationalize her vision” as chief of staff and as a senior advisor.
Bowser worked under Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan in a number of roles where he helped shape policy and advance health equity initiatives. Bowser served as the deputy director of the Housing and Revitalization Department, deputy director of the Community Health Corps and director of Human Services.
“Bowser brings deep operational and structural knowledge and relationships, and a track record of advancing community-driven solutions to help build a government that listens to residents and delivers results for Detroiters,” Sheffield’s Rise Higher transition team wrote in a release.
The position is a key leadership role that will support the incoming administration, according to a press release from Sheffield’s transition effort.
“David Bowser’s deep understanding of Detroit’s communities and the challenges our residents face makes him uniquely prepared for this role,” Mayor-elect Sheffield said in a statement. “He brings a forward-thinking commitment to equity that our administration is being built upon. As Chief of Staff, he will help to guide a government that listens, puts Detroiters first and continues to rise higher.”
Bowser was part of the effort to establish the city’s Code Blue tenant displacement support program and the Detroit Housing Services Office, providing case management to families who are at risk of homelessness. That office was funded with $20 million in ARPA money.
Bowser also helped create the the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine, which offers emergency assistance to residents searching for housing resources or in need of emergency shelter.
As chief of staff, he will oversee citywide communications functions, internal mayor’s office administrative functions and high-priority projects delegated by the mayor. He will also serve as a senior advisor to Sheffield.
“I have always known Mayor-elect Sheffield to be a highly pragmatic, people-driven leader with a unique ability to bring broad coalitions together around tangible benefits for Detroit residents,” Bowser said. “Her priorities of equity and collaboration are seen through her track record of impactful programs and legislation, and speak volumes about her ability to not just speak about change, but to actively facilitate it.”
Bowser is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and of the Creighton University School of Medicine, where he earned his Master’s degree in Public Health.
