Mayor Palazzolo began his citizen-servant career shortly after graduating from the inaugural class of Leadership Germantown in 1996. Over those 25+ years Mayor Palazzolo has served as an appointed city commissioner on multiple boards, alderman, vice mayor and now serves as mayor of the National Baldrige Service Award winning City of Germantown.
First elected as Alderman in 2004, Palazzolo continued to be re-elected in this role until he was elected as Mayor in 2014. He was re-elected in 2022 and is currently serving his third four-year term as Mayor of Germantown.
Mayor Palazzolo’s roots run deep in the Memphis region, having lived in the Mid-South most of his life and calling Germantown home since 1977. His career includes three years as an Economics and Government teacher in the former Memphis City Schools, 23 years primarily in commercial and corporate banking and the last 10 years serving as a Senior Development Officer for Rhodes College.
Mayor Palazzolo is past Chairman of the Board (2000) and Treasurer (2006 through 2008) for the Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves in the following community organizations: Lambda Alpha International Land & Economics Society, Knights of Columbus, Leadership Germantown Alumni Association, Tennessee Municipal League, United States Conference of Mayors, Riggs/Arthur Neighborhood Association, Germantown Kiwanis Club, Germantown Performing Arts Center Executive Board, Memphis and Shelby County Crime Commission, Mid-South Council of Mayors , Urban Land Institute Mid-South Chapter Member and Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce Board Member.
He is a 1986 graduate of Rhodes College, a 2003 graduate of the Rhodes Institute of Executive Leadership and a 2005 graduate of the Paul W. Barret School of Banking. Mayor Palazzolo was chosen a Top 40 under 40 business leader by the Memphis Business Journal in 1998. His daughter Jena, and her husband Stetson reside in Franklin, Indiana with their daughters Joyana and Adriana.