People

Earnest Jackson III has been appointed the new internal auditor for the city of Jackson. Jackson will report directly to Mayor Scott Conger, overseeing the city’s audit committee and conducting protective and constructive audits across all municipal departments, evaluating the adequacy of accounting...

Mona Lawrence, former receptionist and administrative assistant for the Tennessee Municipal League, died Oct. 2, 2026, at the age of 77. Born in Cairo, Ill., and raised in Bardwell, Ky., where her father served as mayor for 25 years, Lawrence earned an associate’s degree in secretarial science from...

Devon Parks has been selected as the new director of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center by Brownsville Mayor William D. “Bill” Rawls Jr. Parks has spent the past five years working at the center, which welcomes visitors to the history and heritage of Brownsville, Haywood County, and West...

Amy Warner has been named the executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. Warner joined the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism in May as interim director and brings with her more than 20 years of experience in local tourism, marketing, and hospitality. She spent nine years as a...

Phil Ponder, former Nashville councilman and renowned local artist, died  Oct. 1, 2026, at the age 93. A graduate of the University of Florida and U.S. Navy veteran, Ponder spent 30 years with Genesco before serving two terms on the Nashville Metro Council between 1995 and 2003. He also spent a...

The University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service (UT-MTAS) has welcomed two new employees. 

Sarah Valk has joined MTAS as a legal consultant and will be based at the Johnson City office. She comes to MTAS from Kingsport where she served as assistant city attorney. 

Prior to that...

Michele Betty, Germantown’s city clerk, has been named the 2026 Clerk of the Year by the Tennessee Association of Municipal Clerks and Recorders (TAMCAR). Betty was recognized for her 25 years of dedicated service to Germantown, during which she has served residents, city staff, and elected...

Jacky Cagle, longtime East Ridge City councilmember, died Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, at the age of 78. Cagle spent 44 years in service to the city, both on the city council and as a city employee. He joined the city’s vehicle maintenance department in 1976, working his way up to supervisor before...

J. Blake Anderson, the longest-serving municipal judge in the city of Jackson’s history, died Sept. 5, 2026, at the age of 71. Anderson was first elected municipal judge for the Jackson City Court in 1996, serving until his death. A Jackson native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in political...

TML Director of Corporate Sponsorship and Conference Expo Debbie Kluth has been honored by the National League of Cities (NLC) with an award for 25 years of service. 

Kluth was presented with NLC’s John G. Stutz Award for her contributions made to the advancement of municipal government through...