Several Key Staff Appointed in the Mayor's Office
Mayor Dean names chief of staff, senior advisor and new Office of Neighborhoods director
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 30, 2007) -
Mayor Karl Dean continues to build his staff with expert talent, announcing today three key appointments have been made in his office.
“Each of these staff members brings a unique set of skills to the office that will help continue to move us forward on our focus on improving schools, making neighborhoods safer and bringing more and better jobs to Nashville,” Dean said. “They also share my desire to make this office accessible and efficient. I am excited to work with them.”
Rita Roberts-Turner, chief of staff. Roberts-Turner joins the Mayor’s Office from the Law Department, where she has served as an attorney since 1999, practicing in areas of civil rights, employment, personal injury and contracts. As a Metro attorney, she has represented the Police Department, Davidson County’s Sheriff’s Office, Juvenile Court and the Hospital Authority, among other various Metro departments and agencies. She also has served as an assistant public defender for Nashville. Prior to receiving her law degree, Roberts-Turner worked as a general assignment reporter for the Nashville Banner.
Hershell Warren, senior advisor. Warren currently serves as the director of public policy and governmental affairs for Meharry Medical College, where he has worked since 1982. During his time at Meharry, he also has served as executive director for the Lloyd C. Elam Mental Health Center, where he helped develop several specialized treatment programs for women with dependent children.
Warren is a past board president of the Tennessee Association of Community Mental Health Centers and former advisory board member and chair of the Nashville Prevention Partnership. He has served on the Health Care Task Force of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators and worked on statewide health care initiatives for the Office of Minority Health and the Black Health Care Commission.
Brady Banks, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods. Banks is a former candidate for council at-large and worked for the Karl Dean for Mayor campaign as field director during the runoff election. Most recently, he has served as the hearings and appeals officer at the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.
In 2003, Banks completed a research project on affordable housing strategies of the Mayor’s Office, faith-based organizations and other affordable housing groups in Nashville through a grant from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The research was later used in cities nationwide as part of an initiative through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Faith and Community-Based Initiatives Office called “Unlocking Doors.”
For media inquiries contact:
Janel Lacy
(615) 862-6020
janel.lacy@nashville.gov