People

John Drake, chief of police for the city of Nashville, has been named to the seven-member Board of Directors for the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the nation’s preeminent independent research organization that focuses on critical issues in policing. Chief Drake’s nomination to be PERF’s...

Bill Rawls, mayor of Brownsville, has earned his master’s degree in leadership and public service at Lipscomb University. Rawls earned the degree through a scholarship program offered by the Ayers Foundation with the aim of using his degree to elevate conversation and opportunities in his community...

Deniece Thomas has been appointed the new commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. She will succeed Jeff McCord following his departure to lead Northeast State Community College. Thomas presently serves as a deputy commissioner for the department since 2019...

Mike Compton has been selected as a senior advisor to Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. Compton previously served as chief of staff to former Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger from 2011 to 2022. Prior to that, he served as chief administrative officer for Walden Security for four years and as chief of...

John Owings has been selected as the new municipal attorney for the city of Harriman. Owings has been practicing law in the Knoxville area for more than 30 years and has been with the firm of Owings Wilson and Coleman since 2008. He obtained a bachelor’s degree and his law degree from the...

Don Farmer, former mayor of Milan, died Sept. 21, 2022, following a heart attack. Farmer served as mayor of Milan from 1992 until 1997 and was also the District 7 Director for the Tennessee Municipal League during his service as mayor. Farmer spent many years working at ITT in Milan followed by...

Travis Barbee has been hired as the new director of parks and recreation for the city of Morristown, following the retirement of longtime director Craig Price earlier this year. Barbee comes to Morristown from Bay County, Fla., where he has served as the parks division manager since 2019. Prior to...

Stan Allen, police chief for East Ridge, will retire after 38 years in law enforcement. Allen began his career with the Chattanooga Police Department in 1984, where he was employed until he took an early retirement in 2012 to accept a position in the private sector. He then joined the East Ridge...

Scott Collins has been selected as the new city manager for Shelbyville. Collins comes to the city after serving as the city manager of Fayetteville for eight years. Prior to that, he served as city administrator with the city of Newport for five years, as city manager of LaFollette, and as a...

Scott Avery has been selected as the new city manager for Millersville. He comes to the city from Missouri where he spent 16 years as an instructor and peer team lead for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International as well as in several simultaneous roles including as a professor at Columbia...

J. Steven Collie has been selected as the new city manager of Oak Hill. Before coming to Oak Hill, Collie spent nearly two years as the city manager of Millersville. Collie spent 24 years in the private sector in various human resources roles at various companies. Before that, he spent two years as...