The city's director of communications, Mary Beth Ikard, is leaving after a short tenure.
She was appointed to the post in early August.
Officials said she is "pursuing other opportunities."
Ms. Ikard previously was the director of sustainability for Mayor John Cooper and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. She was originally appointed in 2015 by then Mayor Megan Barry to advance policy on transit and transportation, in addition to sustainability.
Prior to working in the mayor’s office, for more than five years she led communications for the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization - the lead policy, planning, and funding authority for surface transportation throughout the greater-Nashville region. She also directed communications and marketing for Governor Phil Bredesen’s Books from Birth Foundation, where she generated support for county affiliates of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. While at Katcher Vaughn and Bailey Public Relations, she also worked on BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s health-prevention programs for children and youth. She began her career in the press office for the late Indiana Governor Frank O’Bannon, and then moved into public affairs for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.
Ms. Ikard holds a B.A. in Journalism from Indiana University and Accreditation in Public Relations, and is an MFA candidate with the Sewanee School of Letters.
Ellis Smith is moving back into the role of working directly with the news media.