People

Jeff Abeln, assistant police chief of the Collierville Police Department, died unexpectedly Oct. 14, 2024, after 37 years of service. Abeln joined the Collierville Police Department in 1987 after three years of service as a military police officer in U.S. Army. He was appointed assistant chief of...

Eric Amos has been selected as executive director of the Tennessee Language Center. Amos previously served as the interim director for the center. He joined the center in 2018 as a senior project coordinator and was promoted to director of interpretation in 2022. He holds a bachelor’s degree in...

Michelle Roberts has been selected as the new city manager of Bluff City. Roberts comes to the city with more than 10 years of experience with the Department of Veterans affairs, where she worked as a logistics management specialist, acquisition utilization specialist, and engineering technician...

State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, found a unique way to celebrate his own cancer-free status while bringing awareness to prostate cancer and men’s health.  

Yager jumped out of an airplane at 14,000 ft above ground to celebrate over one year of being cancer-free and raise awareness for prostate...

Steve Wilson has been named the new deputy chief operating officer for the city of Chattanooga by Mayor Tim Kelly. Wilson has been with the city since 2002 when he was hired as director of innovation. Prior to his role with the city, he was the director of operational effectiveness at the Lean...

Laura Kidwell has joined UT-MTAS as a legal consultant in the Nashville Office. Kidwell has spent the past 18 years with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, including serving nearly 14 years as a senior counsel and nearly five as an assistant solicitor general. She also served as an adjunct...

Hoyte Hale, deputy fire chief for the Smithville Fire Department and director of the DeKalb County Emergency Management Service, died Sept. 29, 2024, at the age of 62. A Smithville native, Hale began his career as a volunteer with the Smithville Fire Department, serving with the department for 40...

Former Gov. Winfield Dunn died peacefully at home with his family on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the age of 97.  

Dunn served as governor of Tennessee from 1971 to 1975. Prior to his election, Dunn had never held public office, and was the first Republican governor the state had elected in 50 years...

Darrell Duncan has been appointed vice mayor of Kingsport by his fellow members of the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Elections were held in August for the board in which Paul Montgomery was elected the city’s new mayor. Duncan also serves as the District 1 Director on the board of directors...

Allison Baker, city recorder for the city of Goodlettsville, has been selected as the Municipal Clerk/Recorder of the Year for 2024 by the Tennessee Association of Municipal Clerks and Recorders (TAMCAR). Baker has 14 years of experience in public service, beginning with the city of White House in...

Tyler Williams has been recently selected as the new CMFO and town recorder for the town of Mount Carmel. Williams had been serving as the city recorder for the town of Unicoi beginning in April. Prior to that, he worked as a private banker at First Horizon Bank. Williams has a bachelor’s degree...

Roger Sims has been selected as the new public works director of Gatlinburg following the retirement of longtime director Larry Henderson. Sims most recently served as the assistant public works director and is a 35-year veteran of local government work. His career began with the city of Gatlinburg...