Chattanooga City Council on Aug. 6 confirmed Mayor Tim Kelly’s appointment of Carol Hunter as the new administrator of the Department of Community Development. Joy Bullard-Moore will join her as deputy administrator, and Donnie Walker has been appointed Chattanooga’s new director of supplier diversity.
“Catalyzing economic vitality in underserved communities and building a competitive regional economy are two pillars of the One Chattanooga plan,” said Mayor Kelly. “Carol Hunter, Joy Bullard-Moore, and Donnie Walker are all seasoned professionals who will help us make progress in these key areas. I want to thank them for answering the call to serve Chattanooga in these roles.”
With more than 25 years of experience leading community initiatives, Hunter–who most recently served as Community Development’s director of Operations–will serve as the city of Chattanooga’s Community Development administrator. Hunter also works as the Project director for the EMPACT workforce training program at the Enterprise Center.
Bullard-Moore, who will join the administration from Philadelphia, has served as the director of Place-Based Initiatives at the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) since 2020. At PHA, she has led strategic planning and the expansion of supportive service programming across various neighborhood reinvestment projects.
Bullard-Moore’s work also focused on closing gaps within underserved communities in areas such as health, employment, entrepreneurship, education, and economic mobility. In addition to her role at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Bullard-Moore holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and has been an adjunct faculty member at Drexel University, teaching graduate-level courses in ethics, culture, race, and social justice.
Walker joined the city of Chattanooga in 2023 as deputy administrator for Community Development after more than 30 years of experience in policy regulation and managing complex program operations as the director of Guest Services and Operations for the Tennessee Aquarium. In his new role, he will work to help the city reach its One Chattanooga Plan priority of “ensuring city purchasing and procurement practices meet equity goals.”