Top mayoral aide Pauline Abernathy, who took a leave of absence from the administration over four months ago, has decided not to return to the mayor's office.
Abernathy told PhillyClout she will remain instead with the Institute for College Access and Success, a non-profit she helped launch.
"It was a really hard decision," Abernathy said. "The mayor could not have been more gracious and supportive."
Several top Nutter officials have left in recent months. Nutter's Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Andrew Altman crossed the pond for a job with the 2012 London Olympics over the summer. And Mark Alan Hughes, Nutter's original sustainability czar, left the government in June.