Mayor O’Connell Names Dhathri Chunduru Senior Advisor of Housing

Mayor Freddie O'Connell is appointing Dhathri Chunduru, Ph.D., as the new Senior Advisor of Housing in the Mayor's Office. Dr. Chunduru will lead coordination between Metro departments, build strategic partnerships, guide cross-sector collaboration, and remove barriers to advancing the Unified Housing Strategy.

"A key recommendation of our Unified Housing Strategy included having a senior position focused on housing in the Mayor's Office," said Mayor Freddie O'Connell. "I'm excited to bring a great leader into this role. Dr. Chunduru understands housing policy, the people who build it, and the people who need it. She will be essential to increasing the momentum we've built and offering more Nashvillians keys to homes and brighter futures."

Prior to joining Metro, Dr. Chunduru provided strategic direction for statewide housing programs as Director of Research and Planning for the Tennessee Housing Development Agency for the last five years and brings deep experience in research and policy across four states.

"Housing is one of the most powerful ways we build stable, thriving communities, but only when solutions are grounded in evidence and shaped by the people they're meant to serve," said Dr. Chunduru. "That's the approach I'm bringing to this work. Nashville has laid out ambitious goals in the Unified Housing Strategy, and I'm excited to join Mayor O'Connell as the city works to ensure safe, affordable, stable housing for every Nashville resident."

Dr. Chunduru will begin her role as Senior Advisor of Housing in the Mayor's Office Sept. 8, 2026.

From the Unified Housing Strategy to Choose How You Move, the O'Connell Administration is focused on creating a city where everyone belongs-where all Nashvillians have housing they can afford, a neighborhood where they feel safe, transit that arrives on time, a park they can walk to, and a job that pays the bills. The mayor and his team are working to meet Nashville's growth by treating housing, transit, and opportunity as one connected strategy, so the city shapes its future rather than being shaped by it.