People

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 up...

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 Association...

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...

Rose Steagall, a police officer with the Franklin Police Department, will retire after 18 years with the department. Prior to joining the Franklin Police Department in 2004, Steagall served the community as a paramedic. During her service with FPD, Steagall was assigned to the bike patrol, segway...

Rosemary Golden, city recorder for Tullahoma, is retiring from her role after a 22-year career with the city. Golden has served as city recorder since 2009. She began her career with the city of Tullahoma as a city purchasing officer, being promoted to assistant finance director and director of...

Charles Booth has been named the new community relations director for the city of Brentwood, taking over from Deanna Lambert who served in the role for six years. Booth comes to Brentwood with 22 years of experience in journalism, marketing, and public sector communication experience, most recently...

Mike Musick has been hired as the new director of parks and recreation for the town of Jonesborough. Musick comes to Jonesborough from Bristol where he has spent 13 years as a recreation superintendent. During that time, Musick has also served on the board of directors of the Bristol Theatre and has...