By Camm Ashford
Mayor Tim Kelly recently announced the appointment of Chris Sands, educator and prominent leader in Chattanooga’s local faith community, as the city’s director of Community Engagement.
Sands began his position on Dec. 17.
“I am delighted to welcome Chris to our team at City Hall,” Mayor Kelly said. “With his heart for helping people and his persistent and reassuring presence throughout our community, I’m confident Chris will help ensure that we’re engaging–not just informing–every citizen in every one of our great neighborhoods.”
As director of Community Engagement, Sands will work closely with the Chief Equity Officer to ensure city of Chattanooga initiatives are reaching and engaging residents of every ethnicity, background and zip code.
Sands is a longtime pillar of Chattanooga’s faith community, serving as Youth Pastor and first
assistant to Bishop Kevin Adams at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. With a background in leadership studies, he has worked for more than a decade in program design, team building and community coalition building throughout the
nonprofit, faith and private sectors.
An author of two books, Sands has a proven track record in project management and coordination of team initiatives in business development, recruitment, and expansion.