Michael DiBerardinis assumed his role as managing director for the City of Philadelphia on January 4, 2016. As managing director, DiBerardinis reports directly to the Mayor and oversees and coordinates activity across most major operating departments of City government.
Once described by the Philadelphia Daily News as “a high-energy, no-bull official, who sees potential on the horizon at all times,” DiBerardinis is committed to providing quality day-to-day service to residents as he implements the major policy goals and initiatives of the Kenney Administration.
Prior to becoming managing director, DiBerardinis served as deputy mayor for Environmental and Community Resources. In that role, he provided leadership for departments that managed more than 10,000 acres of land, 150 recreation centers and playgrounds, 150 neighborhood and regional parks, 54 library branches and thousands of programs and events throughout Philadelphia.
As commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation, DiBerardinis raised over $34 million in government grants, philanthropic funding and private partnerships; oversaw the merger of the Fairmount Park Commission and the Department of Recreation; renovated City-owned ice skating rinks; restored summer swimming season at all public pools and expanded outdoor recreation offerings.
DiBerardinis’ work with the Free Library of Philadelphia facilitated deeper connections between the library system and the School District of Philadelphia, preserved hours of afterschool programming in neighborhood branches, and led a public/private fundraising initiative for building renovations.
He previously served the residents of Pennsylvania as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources under Gov. Edward G. Rendell. In this cabinet-level position, he protected 150,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania—more than had been conserved in the previous 30 years combined—and led the development of Pennsylvania Wilds, a project that dramatically increased economic development and ecotourism in Pennsylvania’s northern counties.
DiBerardinis’ long history of public administration includes serving as recreation commissioner to the City of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2000, where he developed a preventative maintenance program for facilities, reopened previously shuttered swimming pools and playgrounds, established employee training procedures, and increased variety and access to recreational programs, resulting in the addition of 28,000 participants.
At his core, DiBerardinis remains the community organizer he was in the 1970s, deeply committed to connecting with citizens—understanding their expectations, considering their solutions, negotiating their contributions—and providing the good government that all Philadelphia neighborhoods deserve.
DiBerardinis has a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Joseph’s University and completed a Daniel Rose Fellowship with the Urban Land Institute in 2010.
DiBerardinis and his wife, Joan Reilly, are parents of four children and longtime residents of the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. He enjoys fly-fishing, bird watching, gardening, cooking, and learning Italian.
