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Personality Profile
Spring brings beautiful blossoms to Centennial Park in Nashville. (Shutterstock.com)
First lady: Monique Odom serves as director of Metro Parks for Nashville By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal
When Monique Odom first joined Nashville, Tenn.’s, Metro Parks and Recreation in 2006, she wasn’t planning to make history. After transferring from the Metro Human Relations Commission to serve as a financial officer, she hoped to round out her practical experience as a public administrator. She ultimately became the department’s first female director. “In 2009, I was asked to lead the finance and administration division, and soon after, I was promoted to parks and recreation supervisor,” she said. “Then assistant director and deputy director. Upon the retirement of my predecessor in March 2017, I was appointed interim director of the department and was selected as the parks director in October (of that same year).” Character counts Odom’s career trajectory began with a part-time job at Opryland, which played a pivotal role in her professional development — it told her what she didn’t want to do with the rest of her life. After leaving the theme park for a position at White Way Cleaners, she found a job that helped shape her soft skills and hone her leadership style. “It’s as important to know what you don’t want/like to do and your weaknesses as it is to know what you want/like to do and your strengths,” she said. 40 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2021
Monique Odom, Nashville Metro Parks and Recreation Director
As she interacted with people from all walks of life, Odom strove to treat everyone equitably and to support the customers in any way that she could — that meant being transparent, honest and considerate. It was an experience that was worth its weight in the Golden Rule, and she’s implemented those qualities throughout her career. Even today, she sees the value in empowering teammates and giving them room to share ideas, make unintended mistakes and have teachable moments
