Council confirms three department directors for parks, animal services and community enhancement

The Memphis City Council on July 8 confirmed three mayoral appointments to lead city departments: Justice Bolden as director of Memphis Parks (item 23), Susan Hollenback as director of Memphis Animal Services (item 21), and Melanie Neal as director of Community Enhancement (item 22). Each appointment was presented to the council and approved with same-night minutes.

Justice Bolden, introduced at the meeting, told the council he is a Memphis native who has worked in parks and recreation since his youth and described priorities including reopening facilities, updating the parks master plan, and restoring robust programming at pools and senior centers. "The opportunity to serve as the director of the Memphis Parks is a dream I've held for a long time," Bolden said, describing plans to update the master plan with a new playbook and strengthen partnerships with community stakeholders.

Susan Hollenback, appointed director of Memphis Animal Services, thanked the council and said she was "excited to get started" and eager to serve city residents. Melanie Neal, confirmed as Community Enhancement director, told the council she was "more than ready to hit the ground running" and committed to delivering tangible results.

All three appointments were approved by recorded vote on the consent/add-on items list; the transcript shows unanimous recorded votes in favor by the members present. Each item carried a request for same-night minutes, which the council granted.

The transcript contains minimal discussion of budgets or implementation timelines for the departments; each director indicated readiness to begin work and engage with the council and community.