People

Bill Almon, a captain with the Franklin Fire Department, died Jan. 15, 2026, from brain cancer at the age of 49. Almon retired as captain of Station No. 6 in April 2025 after his diagnosis in 2023. He spent 27 years with the Franklin Fire Department and was named Fire Office of the Year in 2023 and...

Crissy Fletcher has been hired as the new town recorder for Farragut. Fletcher previously retired after spending more than 17 years as the city clerk for Hopkinsville, Ky., and a further 10 years as the assistant city clerk. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Austin Peay...

Tessa Cortes has been hired as the new finance director for Farragut. Cortes joins the city from Maryville College where she spent nine years in various financial roles, including assistant controller, accounting controller, and director of financial reporting. Prior to that, she spent nearly 10...

Outgoing West Tennessee Mayor’s Association President and Bolivar Mayor Julian McTizic, left, receives a plaque from incoming President and McKenzie Mayor Ryan Griffin at the group’s January meeting. The association is dedicated to supporting the communities in the region and convenes quarterly to...

Kevin Wilson, longtime municipal judge for the city of Collegedale, died Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Wilson served as the municipal judge since 1990, when the position became an elected one. Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Adventist University in 1978, followed by...

Kevin Wilson has been selected as the new director of finance for the city of Alcoa. Wilson has more than 30 years of progressive accounting and financial leadership experience. He comes to the city from H.T. Hackney, Inc., where he served as corporate controller of brands. Prior to that role, he...

Melanie Fleenor has been selected to fill the newly created position of transit manager for the Bristol Department of Public Works. Fleenor will oversee the day-to-day operations of the city’s bus system, including policies and procedures and promotional efforts to increase ridership. Before coming...

Andrew Kiepe has been selected as policy director for the city of Memphis by Mayor Paul Young. Kiepe will help advance smart policy, secure competitive funding, and deepen partnerships that move Memphis forward. Kiepe previously served as director of development for the Memphis River Partnership...

Dean Dickey, former mayor of Columbia, died Jan. 8, 2026, at the age of 92. Dickey was first elected to the Columbia City Council in 2008 and then elected mayor in 2010. He served two terms as mayor, leaving office in 2019. The Championship Field at Ridley Park in Columbia was named in Dickey’s...

Joy Baker has retired after 44 years of service as the risk management director for Johnson City. Baker joined the city in 1981 in the newly created risk management position for the city and developed numerous policies for the city to ensure risk minimization, including daily training, job site...

Charles Carter, former Millington fire chief, died Jan. 1, 2026, at the age of 77. Born at the Naval Hospital at NAS Millington, he graduated from Millington schools and attended Memphis State College – now the University of Memphis – before serving with the U.S. Navy Reserve for five years. He...

Jill Lewis has joined UT-MTAS as a finance and accounting consultant for East Tennessee. She will be based in Johnson City. She joins MTAS from the Tennessee Department of Education in Washington County where she worked as a finance consultant. From 2013 to 2021, she served as a business manager at...