People

Rob Bennett has been selected as the new city administrator for Decherd. Bennett has been serving as the city’s assistant street department superintendent and has spent 11 years with the city. Bennett takes over the role after the departure of Mary Aveni in December 2023.  

Davy Bergman Jr. has been named chief of the Fayetteville Fire Department. A Fayetteville native, Bergman has been with the department since 2008, starting as a volunteer firefighter before joining the department full-time. He has also held the positions of engineer, lieutenant, and captain in the...

Patrick Marsh has been selected as a management consultant for UT-MTAS's Memphis office. Prior to coming to MTAS, Marsh served as city manager of Fernley, Nev. He has also held roles as city administrator in Fitchburg, Wisc.; Monona, Wisc.; and Coal Valley, Ill. He holds a bachelor’s degree from...

Leland Alexander, fire chief of Milledgeville, died April 27, 2024, at the age of 78. Alexander had been chief of the Milledgeville Fire Department since 2010. Prior to that, he had 57 years of experience in the fire service and as an emergency medical responder, working in Shelby County. He also...

Joyce Brackins, former city commissioner for Pigeon Forge, died May 1, 2024, at the age of 84. Brackins served for 16 years on the Pigeon Forge City Commission. In 2001, Brackins took over the seat held by her late husband, Woody Brackins, who had served on the Pigeon Forge Commission since the...

Roddy Parker, chief of police for Nolensville, will retire after 46 years of service in law enforcement. Parker’s career began in 1978 when he joined the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. He retired as a captain from the department in 2017, the same year he became chief of the Nolensville Police...

Hal Boyd has been selected as a new legal consultant in the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service’s (UT-MTAS) Martin office. Boyd has operated his own law firm in Tiptonville since 2012, during which time he also served as county attorney for Lake County and as city attorney...

Micah Wood has been selected to serve as interim town administrator for Thompson’s Station. Wood also presently served as Thompson Station’s community development director and town planner, a role he has held since 2020. He has previously worked in both the public and private sectors, including with...

Tyler Williams has been selected as the new city recorder for the town of Unicoi. Williams takes over from longtime recorder Debbie Kessler, who retired in December. Williams comes to the town of Unicoi from First Horizon Bank where he worked as a private banker. Williams has a bachelor’s degree...

Tom Pessemeir has been named as the new deputy city manager for Oak Ridge. Pessemeir will take over the role from previous Deputy City Manager Jack Suggs, who retired in April. With 16 years of municipal government and financial experience, Pessemeir has held roles including city manager, assistant...

Tim Pendleton, chief building officer for the town of Collierville, was named Code Official of the Year by the Tennessee Building Official Association (TBOA). The award is presented at the TBOA annual conference and acknowledges those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, professionalism...

Brian Hercules, town manager of Smyrna, has announced his retirement from the town after six years in the role. Prior to joining the town in July 2018, Hercules spent more than five years at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce as vice president and then senior vice president of economic...