ST. LOUIS – The day before her swearing in ceremony at St. Louis City Hall, Mayor-elect Cara Spencer announced six new members of her incoming administration.
Spencer named Major Shawn Dace, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Deputy Commander of the Bureau of Operations, the new director of public safety for the city. He’ll succeed Charles E. Coyle Sr., a former St. Louis Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal, in the role.
The incoming mayor appointed Connie Johnson to lead the St. Louis Agency on Training & Employment (SLATE), which provides residents with programs to help them find jobs.
Dan Guenther was named liaison to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Guenther previously represented Ward 9 from 2017 to 2023.
Spencer appointed Robert Herleth, Julian Nicks, and Michael Garvin to interim positions as the city’s chief operating officer, deputy chief operating officer, and city counselor, respectively.
Spencer will become the forty-eighth person to serve as the city’s mayor since the office was formed in April 1823.