Shannon Paul to Lead Implementation of the Mayoral Action Plan, Advancing Efficiency, Responsiveness, and Performance Across City Departments  

Richmond, VA— Mayor Danny Avula today announced a significant step towards shaping Richmond city government into a model 21st-century public sector organization in naming the City’s first-ever Transformation Manager. The Transformation Manager is charged with driving the implementation of the Mayoral Action Plan and using it as a framework to identify ongoing challenges to improve customer service, efficiency, and performance across city government.  

Implementation of the MAP will be led by the City’s first Transformation Manager, Ms. Shannon Paul, appointed following a competitive search. Ms. Paul currently serves as Deputy Director of Financial and Administrative Services for the Department of Justice Services (DJS). In that role, she spent 11 months on part-time assignment to the Mayor’s Office to lead and support the development and initial implementation of the Mayoral Action Plan. In addition to her role with DJS, Ms. Paul, a Howard University graduate, has served in a variety of strategic and management roles in the City of Richmond since 2000, including in the Office of Budget & Strategic Planning. 

“Shannon Paul is the right person at the right time at this critical juncture for Richmond,” said  Mayor Danny Avula.  "She understands the organization's strengths and weaknesses from both strategic and operational perspectives, and she knows that effective city government can not only deliver services-- it can also change lives. Shannon played a crucial role in developing the Mayoral Action Plan and will now help ensure that a great plan translates into impactful action." 

Ms. Paul will lead these efforts in concert with contracted strategic support and internal staff, with specific service area expertise ranging from data, process improvement, and organizational problem-solving deployed to address issues as they are identified. The Transformation Manager will coordinate with executive leaders including Deputy Chief Administrative Officers and department Directors to report findings, issue recommendations, and provide progress reports on a regular basis to the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer.  

“Establishing the Transformation Manager is a clear step toward making Mayor Avula's vision of a well-functioning government a reality,” said  Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II . “Ms. Paul’s unique skillset, including Green Belt in Six Sigma process improvement methodology, coupled with a more than twenty-year track record of identifying issues and resolving them across the City, positions her to help lead the administration's march toward developing a world class municipal government.” 

The Transformation Manager will work across all city agencies, and report to the Chief Administrative Officer.  

“As a devoted city resident, Richmond Public Schools graduate, and someone who has spent her career in service to the city, I’m excited about this opportunity to help move the city forward and see it thrive,” said Shannon Paul. “Mayor Avula and his team came into office not only with inspiring goals but with a detailed vision and plan for achieving them. If we approach the Mayoral Action Plan with commitment, focus, and resolve, there’s no stopping Richmond, as an organization and a community. I’m honored to lead the Mayor’s transformation efforts and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work.” 

Key functions of the Transformation Manager will include: 

• Overseeing the new performance management system tied to the MAP which the City has established to collect, assess, and utilize high-quality data tied to specific MAP goals
• Using this data and other information to critically assess the City’s progress towards MAP goals, and make recommendations to the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer 
• Undertaking deep-dive problem-solving within departments to identify and implement significant process improvements in problem areas. 

Ms. Paul’s first day will be March 9, 2026.