Nashville mayor adds five to his administration

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Monday the addition of five new staff members to his administration in the areas of housing, community engagement and safety and communications. The group includes a veteran of Nashville’s non-profit community and the duaghter of a long-time state senator. 

“Our new staff brings more than 50 years of public service experience to Metro, and adds a range of exceptional talent and diverse experiences to advance our agenda forward, particularly in the housing, workforce development, and community safety space. Each will play an important role making Nashville a welcoming place for everyone,” said Cooper in a statement. 

The new hires are: 

• ​​Jessica Davis will join the Mayor’s Office communications team as Deputy Press Secretary. She comes from the Tennessee Business Roundtable, where she worked in communications and planning. 
• Linda Harper will be Strategic Community Engagement Liaison in the Mayor’s office, working directly with Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood. Harper, who  has more than 15 years experience working at the intersection of business and the private sector, is also the daughter of the late Sen. Thelma Harper. 
• Tiara Thomas will serve an Outreach Liaison for the Mayor’s Know Your Nashville initiative and will work to connect young adults to Metro Nashville’s local government.
• Breanna Tillman, joins the Mayor’s Office as Community Impact Manager in the Community Safety and Justice office. Breanna will help manage the programs and strategies of a coalition of minority-led grassroots organizations. 
• Karin Fielder Weaver, joins the Mayor’s Office as Associate Director of Housing and Human Services, working with Director of Economic Growth and Small Business Development LaTanya Channel.  Weaver has held leadership positions with Hands On Nashville, FiftyForward and Habitat for Humanity, among other organizations. 

The hires come as campaigns for Nashville’s 2023 mayoral race begin to form. Cooper has not announced yet if he will run for a second term and so far has challenges from Metro Councilmember Freddie O’Connell and Matt Wiltshire, who served as Director of Economic and Community Development under Mayors Karl Dean, Megan Barry and David Bailey.