People

Lt. Robert Hayes with the La Vergne Police Department died April 17, 2023, following a short battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 53. A 17-year veteran of the department, Hayes was diagnosed in March. He is survived by his wife of 25 years and their three adult children. He began working in...

Jesse Williams has been hired as the historic resources coordinator for the town of Farragut and will work both with the Farragut Museum located at Farragut Town Hall and with community outreach. Prior to joining the town of Farragut, prior to joining the town of Farragut, he spent nearly seven...

Ronnie Barrett has been selected as the new chief of the Gatlinburg Police Department and will assume his role following the retirement of current Chief Randy Brackins on June 2. Presently serving as a captain with the department, Barrett has been with GPD for 27 years. He will be the eleventh...

Jamie Hinson has been chosen as the next chief of the Paris Fire Department, taking over from Chief Michael Williams who retired from the department after 15 years as chief and a 39-year career. Hinson has served as assistant chief since December 2020, and is a 12-year veteran of the Paris Fire...

Jesse “J.P.” Kraft has been selected as the new director of parks and recreation for the city of Tullahoma. Kraft first joined the city of Tullahoma as a forestry resource technician and worked in several roles, including aquatic operations manager, recreation facility manager, and as interim...

Raquetta Dotley has been elected by her colleagues to serve as the next chairperson of the Chattanooga City Council, making her the first African-American woman to hold the position. Representing Chattanooga’s District 7 since 2021, Dotley recently served as the council’s vice chair from 2022-23, a...

Michael Williams Sr. has announced his retirement as the chief of the Paris Fire Department after a 39-year career. Williams will remain with the department in an advisory role to incoming Chief Jamie Hinson until the end of June. Williams joined the Paris Fire Department in 1984, working his way...

Randy Brackins, chief of the Gatlinburg Police Department, has announced his intent to retire effective June 2. A 49-year veteran of law enforcement, Brackins has spent his entire career at the Gatlinburg Police Department, joining GPD in 1974. He worked his way up through the ranks, serving first...

Deb Wallace has been selected as the new city manager of Athens. A native of McMinn County, Wallace will join the city from Tennessee Wesleyan University where she has been serving as director of the Professional Leadership in Criminal Justice (PLCJ) program since 2021. Prior to that, Wallace spent...

Steve Willis has been selected as the new assistant city manager of Johnson City, returning to the city after serving as its human resources director from 2015 to 2021. Willis has 31 years of experience in human resources and is presently serving as director of the Tennessee School Board...

Will Tholken has been selected as the new parks and recreation director for the city of Dayton. Tholken comes to the city from Bryan College where he served for nearly 10 years, as director of baseball operations, coordinator of athletic operations and most recently as associate athletic director...