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Memphis Mayor Paul Young has announced three major leadership appointments. 

Chris Winston has been selected as the city’s new chief operating officer. Winston comes to the city with 35 years of executive leadership experience, including roles at FedEx, Tesla, and Comcast. He also presently serves on...

Joshua Pierce has been selected as the new chief of police for the town of Greeneville. Pierce was selected from a national pool of candidates and has more than 18 years in law enforcement experience with the Greeneville Police Department. He has served in a variety of leadership roles in his career...

Dick Phebus will retire as finance director for the city of Bartlett after 15 years with the city. Phebus joined Bartlett in 2011 as the assistant finance director and assumed the role of finance director the following year.  Prior to joining the city, he had more than 30 years’ experience in local...

Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo will step down from the role in December, announcing he does not intend to seek re-election. Palazzolo first served as an alderman from 2004 to 2014, during which time he also served as vice mayor. After his election as mayor in 2014, he oversaw numerous milestones in...

Bill Cowan, former Winchester city councilman, died Monday, June 8, 2026, at the age of 81. A U.S. Army National Guard veteran, Cowan retired after 30 years at BellSouth. He was first elected to the Winchester City Council in 1989, serving two terms. He continued to be involved in numerous city...

Matt Slagle has been selected as the new city manager of Bristol from a pool of 52 applicants from across the country. Slagle has been serving as a councilmember since October 2025 when he was appointed to the east district seat vacated by the departure of former mayor Mark Hutton. His appointment...

Tyler Williams has been selected as the acting town manager of Mount Carmel after Town Manager Jim Stables accepted the position of fire rescue chief for Brevard County, Fla. Williams has served as Mount Carmel’s assistant town manager since 2024 and will oversee the town’s day-to-day operations...

Julie High has been selected as the new city manager of Goodlettsville following the retirement of City Manager Tim Ellis on Sept. 30. High has served as Goodlettsville’s assistant city manager since 2021 and joined the city’s staff in 2004 as director of finance and administration. Prior to her...

Norm Sugarman, former alderman for Kingston, died June 8, 2026, at the age of 90. A graduate of the Sewanee Military Academy, he served in the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron during the Berlin Crisis. Upon his return to the U.S. from Germany, he worked at the Oak...

Jim Thomas has been named the interim leader of the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Public Service (IPS) while a 14-member committee conducts a search for permanent leadership. Thomas will take on the role beginning Oct. 1, following the retirement of current director Dr. Herb Byrd III...

Ben Baird, former LaFollette chief of police, died May, 25, 2026, at the age of 80. A LaFollette native, Bard joined the police department as a patrol officer in 1973 after graduating from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy. He then moved quickly through the ranks, serving as a sergeant...

Nancy Johnson, former assistant fire chief and city clerk for Orlinda, died June 2, 2026, at the age of 67. Johnson served the city for three decades and was married to former Orlinda Fire Chief Dusty Johnson, retiring alongside him from their respective roles three years ago. For many of the 23...