People

David Shepard is retiring after four decades of public service, including 15 years as the city street department director for the city of Clarksville. Shepard’s last day is April 27. He began his career with the city of Clarksville in 1978 as a part-time street department employee. He worked his...

Chad Keen, a longtime city councilman for the city of Bristol, is resigning after nearly nine years of service. Keen was first elected to the city council in 2013 and served as Bristol’s mayor from 2016 to 2017. Keen said he is resigning his seat to focus on future professional and personal...

Butch Eley has been appointed as deputy to the governor by Gov. Bill Lee. Eley will continue to serve in his current role as Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration and as a member of the governor’s cabinet. Eley previously served as Chief Operating Officer in the...

Andy Berke, former mayor of Chattanooga, has been announced as a new special representative for broadband with the National Telecommunications and Intelligence Administration. Under Berke’s leadership, Chattanooga established several digital equity programs, including Tech Goes Home, which offers...

Merritt Piper has been selected as the new special event and program coordinator for the Farragut Parks and Recreation Department. Piper comes to the town after serving as an extension assistant with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She previously served for nine months as a park assistant...

Andrew Ellard has been selected as the new assistant city administrator for Morristown.  He comes to Morristown from Hattiesburg, Miss., where he has served as the director of urban development since 2017. Ellard had previously worked for the city of Hattiesburg in the department of federal and...

Robin Chance has been hired as they new recycling coordinator for the city of Jackson. Before coming to the city, Chance served as the chair of Keep Jackson Beautiful. She also has experience in sales, marketing, and logistics from previous positions in the private sector. Chance holds a bachelor’s...

Butch Helton, director of special events for the city of Pigeon Forge, has retired after more than 20 years of service to the community. Helton has been with the city’s events department since 2000, working his way up from an events coordinator to events manager before becoming the director of the...

Don Pulley, retired fire captain with the Springfield Fire Department, died Jan. 20, 2022, at the age of 64. Pulley served for 36 years with the Springfield Fire Department including as a fire engineer, firefighter II, and fire lieutenant before finally retiring as a fire captain. In 1993, Pulley...

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper has announced he will not seek reelection in 2022.

Cooper has served as the Democratic Congressman representing Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District from 1983 to 1995 and its 5th Congressional District since 2003.

Cooper cited the state legislature's controversial move to...

Brentwood Police Chief Jeff Hughes will retire on Friday, February 25, 2022, after a 36-year career with the city.  The third police chief since the city’s police department was established in 1969, Hughes has been with the department since 1986. Before coming to Brentwood, he served as a 911...

Patricia Oldham has been named executive director of the Johnson City Development Authority (JCDA) Board of Directors. A certified planner, Oldham has a long history of civic and volunteer service in the community and is a native of Johnson City. She spent six years as director of community...