Mayor David Briley is reorganizing the Office of the Mayor by naming Emily Passini as Chief of Staff. As the senior official in the administration, Passini will organize the policy priorities of the office, manage staff and work with department heads to drive the mayor’s agenda.
With these changes, Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling and Chief of Staff Debby Dale Mason will leave the Mayor’s Office in the coming months after transition periods. Riebeling and Mason both leave the administration with Mayor Briley’s gratitude for their years of public service and dedication to the city.
“Emily is an incredible talent. She has a keen knowledge of and strong relationships with Metro Government and Metro Council members, and she’s familiar with my policy priorities. I am confident that her sharp organizational skills and strategic focus will drive progress and results for the city,” Briley said.
Passini, who will start her role on July 16, has more than two decades of experience in campaign management, coalition building, and grassroots advocacy. As a partner at Greenlight Media Strategies and former Tennessee House Democratic Caucus director, Passini has worked on political campaigns in more than 30 states. She also previously served as special assistant to the Commissioner of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities in Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration. She is the 2016 recipient of a Top 40 Under 40 Award from the American Association of Political Consultants and the 2018 Nashville Athena Young Professional Leadership Award.
“After nearly 12 years of working on various projects and campaigns with Mayor Briley, it will be an honor to serve in his administration. There is no one I admire more, and I look forward to serving our great city as part of his team,” said Passini.
On the departures of Riebeling and Mason, Mayor Briley said: “Both Rich and Debby have given the city many years of dedicated service. We owe them our deep appreciation.
“Rich’s work, in particular, has been recognized nationally. He has helped to facilitate unprecedented economic opportunity, investment and development as Nashville have become one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. In that work, he has been instrumental in improvements across Metro Nashville, in our schools, parks, libraries, neighborhoods, public safety and infrastructure. I am grateful for all that Rich and Debby have done for Nashville,” said Mayor Briley.
