KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee honored 28 county officials as certified public administrators May 16 following a capstone event at Montgomery Bell State Park.
To achieve the designation, each of the officials completed 80 credit hours in the County Officials Certificate Training Program (COCTP). The program is administered by the UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) and is available to every county employee in the state.
“No other state in the nation provides county employees with such specialized training,” said Mike Garland, executive director of CTAS. CTAS is an agency of the statewide UT Institute for Public Service.
Each course in the program is designed to aid county government officials in performing their jobs and efficiently administering county services. Classroom topics include ethics, fire insurance ratings, finance, records management, proactive leadership and information technology proficiency.
“Some courses are tailored for a specific office, while others cover general managerial and governmental functions,” Garland said. “The entire program is designed for practicality and to build skills the officials need every day to better serve their constituents.”
Graduates of the program must take 16 hours of training per fiscal year to retain their certification. More than 1,100 county officials have completed the program since its inception in 1982, with 760 of those officials still in office.
Because every election brings a substantial turnover in county offices, CTAS gears the training program to finish within a four-year period.
Those who completed the COCTP capstone in May are:
Barbara Anthony, county clerk, Roane County
Ron Arnold, county commissioner, Unicoi County
Michelle Bain, deputy clerk, Chester County
Sheneak Beard, accountant C, Shelby County
Mitzi Bowen, county commissioner, Unicoi County
Vance Bowker, chief deputy, Dickson County
Sharon Brackett, register of deeds, Roane County
Howard Bradley, county mayor, Robertson County
Yvette Brown, deputy register, Anderson County
Tammy Bynum, deputy clerk, Bedford County
Kayla Daniel, deputy clerk, Franklin County
Pam Ennies, clerk, Franklin County
Brenda Henson, deputy clerk, Hardeman County
Stephanie Hill, deputy clerk, Hamilton County
Belinda Hutchinson, trustee, Blount County
Cathy Kelsch, deputy clerk, Blount County
Eva Lewis, deputy clerk, Franklin County
Angie Luckett, deputy register, Hickman County
Pat McGhee, office administrator, Shelby County
Barry Mitchell, chief probation officer, Shelby County
Beverly Oliver, secretary, Weakley County
Claudia Peeler, register of deeds, Tipton County
Charlene Russell, deputy clerk, Bedford County
Beverly Sellars, deputy assessor, Wilson County
Skip Taylor, county mayor, Fayette County
Gail Tucker, deputy trustee, Hamilton County
Tom Wall, sheriff, Dickson County
Paula Wright, deputy clerk, Franklin County
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Contacts:
Queena Jones, (865) 974-1533
Robert Schettler, (615) 532-3555