People

Deputy Governor and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Butch Eley will leave his role in the third quarter of 2025 after seven years in Governor Bill Lee’s cabinet.  

Eley has been a key figure in advancing statewide infrastructure, financial stewardship, and government...

Jason Bellamy has been selected as the new chief of the Kingsport Police Department, succeeding Dale Phipps who retired at the end of June after nearly 37 years of service. Bellamy most recently served the department as deputy chief, a role he took in April 2021. He joined the department in 1998...

Kevin Hackler has been promoted to public works director for the town of Spring City. Hackler has been with the department since 2017, starting as a laborer and quickly demonstrating exceptional skills and leadership. In 2022, he was promoted to public works supervisor where he managed many day-to...

Patrick Jaynes has been appointed the new state director of Tennessee Rural Development by the USDA. As senior consultant for Nashville-based Jigsaw Consulting, Jaynes engaged in local, state, and federal government relations. Prior to his work with Jigsaw, he served for 18 years as deputy chief of...

Phil Hyman, chief of the Chattanooga Fire Department, has announced his retirement after nearly 30 years with the department and more than seven as chief. Hyman worked his way up through the ranks, serving as a lieutenant, captain and battalion chief before serving as training chief and ultimately...

Dalton York has been selected as the new planning director of Gatlinburg. He has served as the assistant city planner since 2023, serving in a vital role in development review, floodplain regulation, and planning commission coordination. Before joining Gatlinburg, he worked as a planner with Siler...

Laura Kidwell, legal consultant with UT-MTAS, has received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing from the Tennessee Bar Association. Prior to joining MTAS as a legal consultant, Kidwell spent 18 years with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, including serving nearly 14...

Kevin Townsel, director of human resources and risk management for the city of Franklin, has been named president of the Tennessee Personnel Management Association (TPMA). Townsel previously served as president-elect of the organization and assumed the role of president at the recent TPMA conference...

Derek Hyde has been selected as the new deputy fire chief for Brentwood Fire and Rescue Department. Hyde previously served as the battalion chief for the department and has 23 years of experience. He joined the department as a firefighter in 2002, working his way through the ranks until he was...

Brian Collins has been appointed the fifth fire chief for Brentwood Fire and Rescue. Collins has been serving as interim chief since the retirement of Brian Goss and previously served as the city’s deputy fire chief. He began his career in the fire service in Kentucky in 1995. Collins has been with...

April Furth has been appointed as the new administrator for the city of Chattanooga’s Parks and Outdoors Department. She comes to Chattanooga from Vancouver, Wash., where she previously served as the director of community development for Clark County. She also has experience in operational...

Charles McCrary, former police chief for the Mt. Juliet Police Department, died April 25, 2025, at the age of 87. McCrary joined the Mt. Juliet Police Department in 1976 and became the second chief of police in the city’s history. Prior to joining the department, he began his law enforcement career...