Pleasanton: City announces new deputy director of community development

Melinda Denis, a seasoned planner with public and private experience, including with the city of Pleasanton since 2016, has been promoted to deputy director of community development for Pleasanton.

Serving as the No. 2 administrator in the Community Development Department, Denis will also serve as manager of the planning division and oversee its permit center and code enforcement functions.

“I am very excited for this new opportunity and continuing to enhance customer service and project coordination for our residents and business community,” Denis told the Weekly on Tuesday.

During her tenure with the city, Denis had served as the permit center manager, working with planning and building workflows, customer service and project coordination. City leaders cited her strong performance in helping coordinate the buildout of the new Workday headquarters, while also pointing out she had been working as interim planning manager during a department transition period.

As deputy director, Denis succeeds Ellen Clark, who was elevated to the city’s community development director last month. Denis’ promotion took effect Jan. 1, but the news was announced Tuesday morning.

“Melinda has extensive private and public sector experience in architecture, planning and community development,” City Manager Nelson Fialho said in a statement. “Her proven track record of improving workflow within the city’s planning, building and code enforcement make Melinda a natural to step into this new role.”

Before joining Pleasanton, Denis worked as an assistant planner for the city of Campbell, and was an associate planner, deputy zoning administrator and zoning administrator for the city of Mountain View, where she also served as chair of that city’s Development and Review Committee. Notable projects that she worked on include Google, LinkedIn, Synopsys, as well as mixed-use residential projects and long-range planning assignments.

Denis earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design and architecture, and a master’s degree in urban planning — both from San Jose State University. She lives in Pleasanton with her husband and three school-aged children.