City of Philadelphia

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What we do

The Office of Public Engagement (OPE) improves the City’s community outreach and engagement efforts. We work to make City government accessible to all Philadelphians and to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.

Our office oversees:

OPE also collaborates with the following commissions within the Office of Immigrant Affairs:

Connect

Address	City Hall Room 115 Philadelphia, PA 19107
Email	public.engagement@phila.gov
	Phone: (215) 686-2181
Social	Facebook

Get news and updates from the Office of Public Engagement and the offices and commissions it supports.

Events

Apr

19

Event

CEA Learning Series: Government 102

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Zoom

Event

CEA Learning Series: Government 102

April 19, 2023
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, 2 hours

Zoom
map

Join us for this month's CEA Learning Series where the Committee of Seventy will give an overview of local primary elections. Come and learn why it's important to have your voice heard in these important elections for city and judicial offices. RSVP at bit.ly/CEATrainings

Apr

20

Event

Volunteer Support Program: Networking Hour

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Event

Volunteer Support Program: Networking Hour

April 20, 2023
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, 1 hour

The Volunteer Support Program is a series of trainings meant to support those who engage volunteers to support their mission, program, and projects.
In this hour, we will not be training on a specific topic, rather we will offer a chance for participants to interact with others in the volunteer-supporting field. We will open space to discuss challenges, seek insight, offer feedback, and get to know others doing similar work.
Registrants will receive a link to the Zoom meeting by email closer to date.

RSVP at https://bit.ly/VSPtrainings

May

17

Event

CEA Learning Series: Building Coalitions

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Zoom

Event

CEA Learning Series: Building Coalitions

May 17, 2023
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, 2 hours

Zoom
map

Join us to learn how to engage the right people and resources around a shared goal. RSVP at bit.ly/CEATrainings

See all events

Posts

Post

Black + Gold Series Kicks Off as a Year-Long Initiative in February

February 14, 2022

Post

Celebrating Women’s History Month in Philadelphia

March 2, 2023

Post

The Culture Shifters Collective

February 8, 2023

See all posts

Press Releases

Leadership

Romana Lee-Akiyama

Executive Director

(215) 686-2645

romana.lee-akiyama@phila.gov

Executive Director of the Office of Public Engagement. Lee-Akiyama joined the City in March 2020, initially serving as Director of Multicultural Affairs at the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) before being promoted to Deputy Director in December 2020. Lee-Akiyama’s work in OIA has led critical engagement with constituent groups across immigrant communities in Philadelphia, creating cultural and immigrant integration programming that engages a diverse audience and facilitates bridge-building across different ethnic and racial groups. Also, she established and currently facilitates a City-wide and cross-departmental strategy group focused on addressing AAPI-focused hate and violence. Lee-Akiyama is a mission-driven leader who brings more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to the role. Before joining the City of Philadelphia, She most recently worked at Eisenhower Fellowships from 2016 to 2020, where she led key strategic initiatives to drive global engagement across the network of 1,600 Eisenhower Fellows in more than 110 countries. Lee-Akiyama holds a BA in International Relations from Tufts University and both a Master of Social Services and a Master of Law and Social Policy from the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College.

More +

Staff

Name	Job title	Email	Phone #
Jeanette Bavwidinsi	Director of Office of Youth Engagement	jeanette.bavwidinsi@phila.gov	(215) 686-2159
Octavius L. Blount	Coordinator for Mayor's Office of Black Male Engagement	octavius.blount@phila.gov	(215) 686-0811
Saptarshi Dutt	Communications Coordinator for Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement	saptarshi.dutt@phila.gov	(215) 686-7507
Amanda Gamble	Chief Service Officer for Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service	amanda.gamble@phila.gov	(215) 686-3684
Jovida Hill	Executive Director of the Commission for Women	jovida.hill@phila.gov	(215) 686-2154
Reverend Naomi Washington-Leapheart	Director, Faith-based and Interfaith Affairs	naomi.washington.leapheart@phila.gov	(215) 686-2191
Eric Westbrook	Director of Mayor’s Office of Black Male Engagement	eric.westbrook@phila.gov	(215) 686-0332

Name

Job title

Phone #

Jeanette Bavwidinsi

Director of Office of Youth Engagement

jeanette.bavwidinsi@phila.gov

(215) 686-2159

Octavius L. Blount

Coordinator for Mayor's Office of Black Male Engagement

octavius.blount@phila.gov

(215) 686-0811

Saptarshi Dutt