USF Health VP named to lead Mayor Castor transition

TAMPA — Mayor Jane Castor has tapped a University of South Florida academic administrator to lead her transition efforts.

Carole Wallace Post, 53, also has City Hall experience, having worked in the New York City mayoral administrations of Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. Under Bloomberg in 2009, Post became the first woman to serve as Commissioner of the City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, managing a 1,200 member staff and $350 million budget.

Earlier, she headed the mayor’s office of operation, tasked with improving transparency and accountability. Before that, Post served as the city’s building department’s executive director of strategic planning where she was involved in rebuilding efforts after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Post joined USF Health as chief administrative officer and assistant vice president in 2016. She’ll continue in that job as she assists Castor in a volunteer, part-time capacity, said Castor spokeswoman Ashley Bauman.

Post, a Bradenton native, came back to Tampa Bay after a stint serving as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at New York Law School.

Before moving to New York, Post practiced law in Palm Beach County where she also served as as city attorney, as well as acting city manager, for the city of Palm Beach Garden, according to a news release.

In a statement, Castor said she was excited to have someone of Post’s caliber and experience leading her transition. They know each other, Bauman said, and there was no applicant pool. Castor picked Post as the person she wanted for the job.

“Carole’s extensive experience in both the public and private sector will serve as a compass for my administration. As I’ve said before, this city is going to change more in the next ten years than it has in my lifetime and with our strategic vision and top talent, the sky’s the limit,” Castor said.

Post will assist the mayor in organizing planning committees on transportation, sustainability and resiliency, construction support and services, workforce development and affordable housing. She will also help prioritize which issues to tackle first.

Castor has said transportation issues are at the top of her agenda and she has decided to take a board seat at the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority board.

Post said she welcomed the opportunity to return to a role in municipal government.

"It’s an honor to support Mayor Castor as she implements a visionary plan for Tampa’s future. Her tremendous leadership will help to galvanize residents and other stakeholders across Tampa, as well as our city’s talented workforce, to strive for excellence in delivering a road map for success,” Post said.

The temporary assignment has no determined end date and will not come with a salary, Bauman said.