People

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...

Bennie Jennings has been selected as chief of police for the Fayetteville Police Department. A native of Fayetteville, Jennings law enforcement career first began with the department 27 years ago. He then worked with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which he retired from at the end of September. In...

Gary Waldroup has retired after 46 years of service to the Gatlinburg Police Department, most recently serving as assistant chief. Waldroup began his career in law enforcement with the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office in September 1977 before joining the Gatlinburg Police Department as a patrol...

Larry Henderson has retired after 44 years of service to the city of Gatlinburg. Henderson most recently spent 10 years as public works director for the city, overseeing its building maintenance, mass transit, parking, street, sanitation, and utilities departments. He began his career with the city...

Benji Davis has been selected as the new gas director for the city of Springfield. He has been in the utility sector since 1996 and worked with Piedmont Natural Gas in Charlotte, N.C. beginning 2001 before moving to Nashville to oversee construction of Piedmont’s new offices there. He holds a degree...