Don Darden

Don Darden, longtime management consultant for the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service, died at the age of 78. Darden served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, earning the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s of public administration from the University of Tennessee. During his career, he served as the first executive director and organizer of the South Central Tennessee Development District. He also wrote the charter forming the South Central Agency and served as its chairman. Additionally, Darden served as county executive of Coffee County, city manager of Jefferson City, and city administrator for LaFollette before joining MTAS, where he worked alongside his twin brother Ron. Darden retired from MTAS in 2010 and received the highest award given by the Institute of Public Service of the University of Tennessee for his work.