People

Holly Kirby has begun her term as the chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court after being elected unanimously to serve a two-year term. She is the fourth ever female chief justice of the court and succeeds Justice Roger Page. Kirby was the first woman to serve on the Tennessee Court of Appeals...

Cheryl Ball has been selected as the new chief policy officer for the city of Knoxville by Mayor Indya Kincannon. Ball has three decades of experience with business operations, strategic planning, marketing communications strategy and stakeholder development. She also has owned and operated her own...

Rebecca “R.J” Justice has been selected as the new chief of Urban Design and Development for the city of Knoxville by Mayor Indya Kincannon. Justice has been involved in the local design and development community for more than 15 years. She started at the city in 2017 as the first urban wilderness...

Jason Quick has been selected as the new city manager for the city of Tullahoma. Quick had previously served as the principal of Tullahoma High School until the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Quick was selected following a process involving input from Tullahoma’s Citizens Committee, an...

Tom Solomon, longtime city recorder and city manager for the city of Dayton, retired on Sept. 1, 2023. Solomon began his career with the city as a police officer before becoming the city recorder and then holding dual roles as city recorder and manager. David Shinn, former prosecutor for the state...

Harvey Ellis has been selected as the new town manager for the town of Oakland. Prior to the appointment, Ellis served as the town’s director of public works. Ellis has been with the city for 23 years. Dennis Mullins was selected to take on the position of public works director following Ellis’...

Andrew Patton has been selected as the new director of human resources for the city of La Vergne. Prior to coming to the city, Patton had diverse experience in the human resources field including serving in the corporate and music and entertainment industries as well as an entrepreneur. He served...

Beverle Rivera, former mayor of Lakeland, died Aug. 11, 2023, at the age of 95. Rivera served as the first mayor of Lakeland from its incorporation in 1977 until 1989. A native of Memphis, Rivera attended Memphis State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She lived in Memphis...

Former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist died Aug. 27, 2023, following surgery and a short illness at the age of 87. 

Born in Moline, Ill., Sundquist was a graduate of Augustana College and served in the U.S. Navy. After years serving in the printing and advertising industry in Shelbyville and...

Christopher Moews has been selected as the new police chief for the city of La Vergne. Moews comes to the La Vergne Police Department from Milwaukee, Wis., where he presently serves as a captain. He has been with the city since 1996 and during his 30 years of service has embraced community...

Justin P. Wilson, Tennessee comptroller emeritus, has been named winner of the 2023 Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime Achievement Award, administered by TDEC. Wilson has been one of Tennessee’s most important conservationists over the last five decades through his work and contributions in the public...

Randall W. Hemann has been selected as the new city manager for Oak Ridge. Hemann comes to Oak Ridge from Mooresville, N.C., where he has served as town manager since 2019. Before that, he served as assistant city manager for community services with High Point, N.C.; city manager of Oxford, N.C...