Miami Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins is wasting no time building the team that will guide her administration from day one.
Her early hires signal a reform-minded approach aimed at bringing stability and responsiveness to City Hall. She’s tasked them with shaping a 100-day agenda centered on affordability, public safety, climate resilience and restoring public confidence in city government.
At the top of the list is longtime public servant Maggie Fernandez as Chief of Staff. Higgins described Fernandez as an indispensable partner in her county-level work and a leader who “knows how to cut through bureaucracy, build strong teams, and keep government focused on residents.”
Fernandez has served as Higgins’ Chief of Staff on the Miami-Dade County Commission since her 2018 upset election. A Miami-born daughter of Cuban parents, she brings nearly three decades of government experience, including prior roles in the County Manager’s Office, sustainability programs and her own public-sector consulting firm.
“It is an honor to continue serving the people of Miami alongside Mayor-Elect Higgins,” Fernandez said, adding that she aims to “build an administration that delivers results, strengthens public trust, and ensures residents see and feel the work of City Hall in their everyday lives.”
Higgins’ transition team, meanwhile, reads like a cross-section of Miami’s civic and economic leadership.
There’s Carlos Migoya, CEO of Miami-Dade’s public Jackson Health System, who brings experience transforming a major public institution while steering Miami through budget crises during his time as City Manager.
Haitian community leader Gepsie Metellus, the co-founder of nonprofit Haitian neighborhood center Sant La, adds decades of advocacy for immigrant families and community integration.
Business and government affairs strategist Jose Bermudez, a fixture in responsible growth and economic development circles, joins innovation leader Matt Haggman, known for building Miami’s entrepreneurship ecosystem at the Knight Foundation, the Beacon Council and Right to Start.
Urban planning expert Marta Viciedo, who helped lead the Better Bus Project as a founder and former Director of Transit Alliance Miami and co-founded Urban Impact Lab, will help shape mobility, resilience and public-space priorities.
Former Miami Beach Chief of Staff Michele Burger will bring experience in land use, infrastructure, arts and culture, and large-scale civic planning.
Rounding out the team are Miami Foundation CEO Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, a nationally recognized philanthropic leader; public-policy expert Terry Murphy, Ph.D., whose career in oversight and ethics spans the County Commission and Inspector General’s Office; and Overtown civic leader Tina Brown, whose work expanding youth and family services has reshaped opportunity for thousands.
“This transition team reflects the best of Miami — community builders, problem-solvers, and leaders who know our neighborhoods and care deeply about our city’s future,” Higgins said in a statement. “Together, we will prepare a bold, practical agenda for my first 100 days focused on affordability, public safety, resilient infrastructure, and a government that is transparent, ethical, and responsive.”
Higgins became the first woman elected Mayor of Miami on Tuesday, defeating ex-City Manager Emilio González with 59.5% of the vote. She is also the first Democrat in nearly 30 years to win the mayoralty.
She is expected to be sworn in as early as next week.
