Donald Anthony appointed as new Planning Director for City of Murfreesboro

City Manager Craig Tindall has appointed Donald Anthony as director of the City of Murfreesboro Planning Department, replacing Gary Whitaker who was recently promoted to Assistant City Manager. Anthony has served as Principal Planner for the City Planning Department since 2015. The announcement was made to staff Monday, July 30, following the recommendations of an internal and community interview panel.

“We are pleased to announce the promotion of Donald Anthony to the strategic position overseeing Planning services for the City of Murfreesboro,” said City Manager Craig Tindall. “Donald has been instrumental in guiding various planning studies that will direct future development in downtown Murfreesboro and redevelopment of the Historic Bottoms area. His background and leadership as a certified planner is well-respected, both internally and externally, among developers and builders in Middle Tennessee.”

Anthony was a Planning Supervisor for Historic Franklin, Tennessee from 2012 to 2015 before beginning work for the City of Murfreesboro as a Principal Planner. He has also served as a Deputy Director of Planning for the City of Conway, Arkansas and as a Senior Planner for the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development from 2005-2008.

The City Planning Director position recently became vacant after the City launched a new Development Services Division in early July. Former Director Gary Whitaker became Assistant City Manager for Development and Coordination and Sam Huddleston as Executive Director for the Development Services Division as part of the reorganization of the City’s administrative structure to better serve customers. Whitaker had served as Planning Director since January 2016.

Anthony is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) with the Association of State Floodplain Managers. Anthony holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Science from Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee. He has also acquired additional education through coursework at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Anthony was born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee and is married to Kristin Canada-Anthony, a pre-school teacher. The couple will be married 21 years in August and has one child, Stephen, 15.