Melissa Memory
2025 TSNA Board Candidate
Tell us a little about yourself.
Please provide a brief background or bio, including any relevant experiences or interests.
I am a 10th Generation Georgian who grew up in Athens, GA with a passion for history. Savannah and the coast was a special place in my childhood as a magic old place of my great aunts and cousins. I attended the University of Georgia and studied Anthropology and the received a Masters Degree in Public Archaeology from the University of Arkansas. I was an archaeologist for most of my career and have worked all of the country, the last 24 years with the National Park Service. I have been the Superintendent of Fort Pulaski for 11.5 years.
How long have you lived in the Thomas Square neighborhood?
Please provide some details about your story in respect to how you came to live in our community.
My college roommate who moved to Savannah in the mid-90’s showed me the house I ended up buying. It is my dream house and I have lived here for 11 years. While I was taken by the aesthetics of my house and our neighborhood, what I really love about living here now is the sense of community we have created. I love my neighbors!!
What do you do professionally?
Please share a bit about your profession and how it impacts you and your relationship with the community.
My job for the past 11 years is leading a National Park on an island where I am responsible for managing an amazing team of staff, volunteers, and partners, including human resources, historic preservation, conservation, climate change adaptation, infrastructure, interpretation, budget planning and execution, internal controls, customer service, grant writing, briefing our congressional delegation, engaging stakeholders, working with Federal, State and Local Government Agencies, supervising law enforcement, working with prosecutors, working with local law enforcement agencies. emergency planning, working with local media, and non-profits.
Why are you interested in serving on the TSNA Board of Directors?
Explain what drew you to make this decision to volunteer to serve your community on the TSNA board.
I want more engagement to influence decision making. Information needs to be curated to present to our community so that our collective “asks” can be more effective.
What do you see as the top challenges for our neighborhood, and how do you think the board should address them?
Some examples we see as top issues facing our neighborhood in the coming years are the potential expansion of Savannah’s To-Go Cup district, hotel development, the ongoing affordable housing crisis, rising property taxes due to property value inflation, and increasing crime & homelessness challenges.
A lot of the issues that come up are structural in that the residents of our community are rarely engaged as Stakeholders in decision making. I am interested in education the community on process so our voices are heard.
What steps would you take to bring the community together, inspire engagement, bolster membership & attendance at meetings, and give residents a stronger voice?
Community involvement has always been a cornerstone of the Thomas Square neighborhood, but there is much room to inspire more participation and engagement moving forward.
I think that people become more engaged when they are solicited for input rather than just provided information. Meetings should be an opportunity to hear from members and inspire collective action to influence decision making in our community.
What skills, connections, resources, or expertise do you bring to the table that will help TSNA navigate these rapidly changing times and serve the neighborhood effectively?
I am a 2014 Graduate of leadership Savannah and have been on the Historic District Board of Review. I am the Gardener of Record for the 39th Street Community Garden. I am on the Tybee Island Tourism Advisory Board /Visit Savannah, I have been on the Advisory Board for the Savannah Tech Historic Preservation Department, Healthy Savannah, RePurpose, and Tybee Island Main Street/Development Authority. My job and passion is to bring people together towards common goals. I am a policy wonk.
Contact
If you would like to reach out to the candidate directly with any follow up questions they can be reached via email.
Reminder
Only current paid members of the TSNA can vote in the 2025 Board of Directors election. Please join now to secure your opportunity to make your voice heard in this election.
