Mayor Cherelle Parker has tapped ex-NBC10 anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah to lead Philadelphia’s civil rights agency

Attorney and former NBC10 anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah is the new leader of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, an agency that investigates civil rights and fair housing complaints.

Chenault-Fattah is married to former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who resigned after being convicted in 2016 on federal corruption charges and was released from prison in 2020. Chenault-Fattah was not charged in the case, but she stepped down from NBC10 around the time of her husband’s indictment.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker appointed Chenault-Fattah last month to her new position, which comes with an annual salary of $170,000. Chenault-Fattah said the role “is an opportunity to lean into my decades of experience in law, communications and commitment to equal justice.”

“I look forward to working with the experienced and dedicated team at [the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and Fair Housing], who are focused on investigating and enforcing our antidiscrimination laws and working on conflict resolution throughout our communities,” she said in a statement.

The Inquirer learned of Chenault-Fattah’s hiring from a review of city payroll data. Parker’s office confirmed Tuesday that Chenault-Fattah’s first day on the job was June 30.

She replaces interim executive director Randy Duque, who has returned to his role as deputy director. Duque in turn replaced Kia Ghee, who was appointed by former Mayor Jim Kenney and stepped down earlier this year to run for a seat on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Chenault-Fattah has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University, a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

Although she was not charged in her husband’s indictment, prosecutors in the case detailed a bogus 2012 sale of her Porsche convertible, which they alleged was meant to conceal a bribe that benefited her husband. Chenault-Fattah at the time disputed prosecutors’ narrative of the Porsche sale and criticized their characterization of her involvement in the case.

Chenault-Fattah went on to work in public interest law, both at the SeniorLAW Center and as executive director of the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, which provide services to indigent clients, according to an online resume.

Parker, who took office in January 2024, has tapped several relatives of notable political figures for jobs in her administration or board appointments.

City Representative Jazelle Jones, whose job entails promoting tourism and events in Philadelphia, is the wife of City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. Councilmember Jimmy Harrity’s wife, Marnie Aument-Loughrey, was hired as a community coordinator for Parker’s Kensington cleanup initiative. And Parker appointed Dawn Chavous, a charter school consultant and the wife of Council President Kenyatta Johnson, to serve on the city’s school board in an unpaid position.

After losing reelection amid a public mental health crisis, former state Rep. Kevin Boyle, the brother of U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, was hired this year as deputy director of external affairs for an agency advancing the administration’s initiatives for people with substance-use disorder.

Parker has also hired former state Rep. Leslie Acosta, who pleaded guilty in 2016 to taking part in an embezzlement scheme involving a mental health clinic, to a community outreach job in the Department of Commerce. Leslie Acosta is the daughter of former state Rep. Ralph Acosta.