Mohamed-Shukri Hassan to lead Nashville’s Office of New Americans – Tennessean
Nashville will once again have a full-time director to lead its Office of New Americans.
Mohamed-Shukri Hassan, a longtime Nashville immigration advocate, joined Mayor John Cooper’s administration this week.
He previously served on the mayor’s New Americans Advisory Council and has worked with other community groups such as the American Muslim Advisory Council, Nashville International Center for Empowerment and Lipscomb University’s business incubator of immigrants.
The entrepreneur most recently served as the campaign chair for the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition’s new headquarters and has been involved in the organization since 2008.
“Mohamed brings vast experience and deep connections within Nashville’s immigrant communities. He can hit the ground running due to his relationships and years of prior community work advocating for immigrants,” Cooper spokesperson Katie Lentile said in a statement.
The hire, first reported by the Nashville Scene, comes ahead of the one-year mark of Cooper’s tenure as mayor on Sept. 28.
The position has been vacant since he took office, after he initially “downgraded” the role of director following the departure of Vanessa Lazón, who had served as director since 2016.
But then, Frohar Mirzai, hired as a liaison for the office, resigned just after about two weeks, calling attention to the need for the administration to hire a senior-level director to serve the city.
During the monthslong search, Fabian Bedne, a former council member and hired as a planner for the administration’s Neighborhood Development and Infrastructure, has been serving as director on an interim basis.
“The mayor moved deliberately to find the best fit for this important position, and Mohamed will be taking over for Fabian Bedne, who had been wearing multiple hats during the search,” Lentile said.
In an interview with The Tennessean on Thursday — his second day on the job — Hassan laid out his immediate priorities: to get better COVID-19 resources to Nashville immigrant communities and to increase participation in the census count.
Southeast Nashville includes a large portion of the city’s Hispanic and New American populations, which have represented an outsized share of COVID-19 cases in Nashville.
It’s also a community the city has struggled to effectively reach and provide critical services to in order to contain the spread of the virus.
“It’s a challenging time. My main focus is helping address the disconnect and help identify resources and assets for the communities,” Hassan said.
Already, he’s coordinating mobile testing for next weekend at Smith Spring Community Center. Meharry Medical College has done mobile testing during off hours and on the weekends in Southeast Nashville to meet a need among residents like factory or construction workers or day laborers who can’t get tested during the normal hours of operation at the testing site.
It’s about reaching the people where they are, Hassan said.
“Hiring Mohamed to lead the office of new Americans was a great choice and is going to make a positive difference for immigrants living in our city, especially during these times,” said council member Sandra Sepulveda, who represents District 30 in Southeast Nashville.
“The Office of New Americans is a vital lifeline for many of the city’s newest residents, and I know Mohamed will do a great job helping them build a more vibrant and inclusive Nashville,” she said.
Beyond the immediate pressing issues of the pandemic and getting counted in the census, Hassan plans to work closely with the Office of Neighborhoods to ensure services and infrastructure needs are met in all diverse neighborhoods.
“Immigrants live all over Nashville, not just southeast. We are a city made of neighbors,” he said. “I want to enhance the quality of life and health for everyone.
“I am humbled to be in this role. In three years, I’ll call it a success if more people are participating and engaging with their neighbors.”
Yihyun Jeong covers politics in Nashville for USA TODAY Network – Tennessee. Reach her at yjeong@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.
Published 12:38 PM EDT Sep 11, 2020
