People

Dianne Waldron, town clerk and treasurer for the town of Smyrna, retired after 40 years of service. Waldron began her career with the town as a tax clerk in 1981. Three years later, she was promoted to a supervisory role. During her time with the city, Smyrna has grown from a population of just...

Capt. Justin Bush has been named captain of patrol for the Bristol Police Department. An 11-year veteran of the department, Bush served first as a patrol officer and field training officer until he was transferred to the department’s Criminal Investigations Unit. As a detective, he oversaw general...

Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Rankin with the Brownsville Police Department died Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 after a two-month battle with pancreatic cancer and liver failure. He was 57. Rankin began his law enforcement career with BPD in 1989. He spent three years at the Memphis Airport Police before returning...

Wade Evans has been selected as the new special events supervisor for the Hendersonville Parks and Recreation Department. Evans has been with the city for two years, most recently serving as the recreation coordinator for athletics. A lifelong Hendersonville resident, Evans holds a bachelor’s...

Steven S. Mott has been selected as the new transportation planning manager for the city of Bristol. Mott will be taking over from Rex Montgomery, who retired in January after a 30-year tenure in the position. Mott has been with the city since 2019. Prior to joining the city, Mott was employed as a...

Irene Wells, mayor of Bluff City, died Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, from complications with pneumonia at the age of 77. Wells was both the first black alderwoman and the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of Bluff City. Wells’ husband Billy Wells also served as mayor of Bluff City in the...

Arlisa Armstrong has been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the new USDA rural development state director of Tennessee. Prior to her appointment as state director, Armstrong spent three decades working in rural development in Western Tennessee. She successfully led several initiatives...

Sharon Rollins has retired after 37 years of service to the University of Tennessee and the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). The supervisor for the technical and legal consultants at MTAS, Rollins also served as a public works consultant for cities in East Tennessee. She is the...

Jeff Mills will retire as the director of the Cookeville Gas Department on March 31, 2022 after a 40-year career. Mills has served as the director of the department before the past eight years. During his tenure, Mills has overseen the city’s automated gas reader program as well as numerous line...

Jonathan Stotler has been selected as the management information systems director for the city of Columbia. Stotler has been with the city for 11 years, starting with the Columbia Police Department before joining the city’s MIS Department. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a...

Wanda McClain has been selected as the new human resources director for the city of Columbia. McClain has more than 20 years of experience in human resources and comes to Columbia from the city of Spring Hill where she served as a human resources assistant. McClain has a master’s degree in...