Mayor Barry Announces New Positions Within Her Administration

Press Release, NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 28, 2015) – Mayor Megan Barry has announced key hires in the positions of Law Director, Executive Assistant, Senior Advisor, and Press Secretary within her administration.

Jon Cooper will serve as Metro Law Director. Cooper is currently Director of the Metro Council Office and Special Counsel to the Council. A graduate of Hume-Fogg Academic High School, Jon earned the bachelor of music degree from Middle Tennessee State University, where he was a member of various musical ensembles and the debate team. He worked in the music industry for several years before switching careers and serving as a legal assistant for a private attorney while attending law school prior to accepting a position with the Metropolitan Council Office in 2001. He was appointed by the Metropolitan Council to his current position as Director and Special Counsel in 2008. Cooper is a member of the Nashville Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee County Attorneys Association.

“Jon Cooper was an incredible asset to me when I served on the Metro Council and I am grateful that he has agreed to join me in my administration,” said Mayor Megan Barry. “He has a wealth of knowledge as it relates to State and Metro law, which will help to guide my administration as we seek to implement the policies and programs that will move our city forward.”

“I’m looking forward to continuing to serve Metro Nashville in a new role that will involve implementation of many of the laws I helped to draft during my time assisting the Metro Council,” said Cooper. “I thank Mayor Barry for the opportunity and look forward to representing our Metro Government as Director of Law.”

Also transitioning from the Metro Council Office to the Mayor’s Office will be Elease Waller, who will serve as the Executive Assistant to Mayor Barry. Waller has served for 30 years as a staff assistant to the Metro Council, where she helped members of the 40-member body with administrative, clerical and managerial duties that included constituent services and correspondence.
Claudia Huskey will join the administration as a Senior Advisor, focusing over the next few weeks on helping to implement transition plans that come from the Mayor’s Transition Team chaired by Charles Robert Bone. Huskey served as Campaign Manager for Barry’s mayoral campaign after working as Senior Aide to Former Vice President Al Gore.

Sean Braisted will serve as Press Secretary for Mayor Barry. He will be a member of the communications team which also includes Michael Cass, who will continue to serve in the role of Communications Advisor and Speechwriter for the Mayor. Braisted served as communications director on the Megan Barry for Mayor Campaign. Prior to that, he served as Press Secretary to the House Democratic Caucus under Chairman Mike Turner.

“I wanted to bring the best and brightest into my administration to help with the challenging work we have ahead of ourselves,” said Barry. “I believe these new additions to the talented staff we already have in place will help significantly as we continue to navigate the transition process and implement some of the goals and policy proposals I discussed on the campaign trail.”

Huskey and Waller will begin their new roles starting today, Monday, September 28. Cooper will begin upon being confirmed by the Metro Council, which is scheduled for the October 6 Council meeting. Braisted will officially begin on October 12.

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