Daniel Riccio

Accomplished leader with a proven track record at the City of Charleston for 37 years, enhancing team efficiency and reducing costs by streamlining operations. Expert in government relations and team building, I've successfully implemented programs to boost employee loyalty and fostered a culture of recognition. Skilled in mediation and mentoring, my approach has significantly improved community and staff relations.

Dan graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy as a certified police officer in 1987 and was hired by the City of Charleston Police Department in 1988. During his police career, he served in a variety of capacities to include patrol officer and supervisor, Narcotics Unit investigator/ supervisor, Vice Unit investigator, SWAT team member/ supervisor, Aviation Unit member, Warrants Division investigator/ supervisor, property crimes detective, patrol division commander, and Livability Court liaison. Dan retired from the Charleston Police Department at the rank of Lieutenant in 2010 and accepted a position as the Director of Livability of the newly formed City of Charleston Livability Division. In 2015, the Livability Division merged with the Tourism Division to form the Department of Livability and Tourism. Dan, the director of the department, oversaw commercial and residential environmental code enforcement and tourism management and enforcement. Dan was asked to join the Mayor's executive staff in 2024, and accepted a position as the Community Services Section Chief managing over 380 staff for two departments and over ten divisions. Dan earned national and international notoriety for his integrated management approach adequately addressing the equilibrium between Charleston residents, visitors, and the tourism industry. Dan was featured in the book, “Public Servants Studied in Image and Essay,” by Charles T. Goodsell for his role as the Director of Livability for the City of Charleston. Dan also contributed an essay for the book “Overtourism, Lessons for a Better Future,” by Martha Honey and Kelsey Frenkiel outlining the centralization of key functions of tourism management and quality of life under one city department. In 2018, Dan was invited by the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) as a guest speaker at the World Tourism Day Forum at The George Washington University in Washington, DC to provide a comprehensive overview to tourism leaders around the world on how the City of Charleston regulates and enforces short term vacation rentals, now a model for other cities to follow.

Emergency Medical First Responder Course, U.S. DOT17