Tennessee Matters

The Tennessee Board of Regents manages the state university and community college system of Tennessee as well as the state's vocational technical schools. With 13 community colleges and 20 TCATs (Tenn College of Applied Technology) offering more than 400 programs of study, the goal is to create opportunities for all Tennesseans to attend college, regardless of age or income. Recently John Clark spoke with Rick Locker, Dir. of Communications about the many initatives to promote higher education in our state. Link to: TBR.edu.

The mission of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is to preserve, conserve, manage, protect, and enhance the fish and wildlife of the state. To promote the TWRA’s mission along with outdoor events & activities from hunting, fishing, boating, and just about anything outdoors, the agency produces a popular podcast called Tennessee WildCast. The podcast is hosted by the longtime voice of the TWRA Don King along with cohost Jason Harmon. Don and Jason are John Clark’s guests on this episode of Tennessee Matters.
TWRA website: www.GoOutdoorsTennessee.com
TN WildCast on the iHeartRadio App: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-tennessee-wildcast-30961332/

The TN Assoc. of Alcohol, Drug & other Addiction Services is a statewide association of alcohol and drug abuse treatment, prevention, and recovery service professionals and others who are interested in addiction issues. TAADAS keeps alcoholism, drug abuse, and other addiction issues including gambling in the forefront when public policy decisions are made and through the collective voice of its members. Recently John Clark talked with Exec. Dir. Mary Linden Salter about what's being done to offer hope to Tennesseans who battle addiction every day. TAADAS website: www.taadas.org

The Tennessee Department of Human Services is thought of as a safety net by facilitating nutrition programs, childcare services, employment assistance, vocational training, and protective services for Tennesseans and families in need. It's the state’s second-largest agency with an operating budget of more than $3 billion and nearly 4,000 employees working in offices in all 95 counties and has been led by Commissioner Clarence Carter since January 2021. Recently Commissioner Carter spoke with John Clark about his vision to transform Tennessee's DHS. Website Link to TN DHS: https://www.tn.gov/humanservices

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s mission is to increase the number of Tennesseans with a post-secondary school education and the commission actively promotes the state’s programs to help make that happen including Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect. Dr. Robert Smith has been appointed Interim Executive Director of the commission and recently he spoke with Tennessee Matters host John Clark about the future of educational opportunities for everyone in Tennessee.

If you have a digging project in your yard, it’s always best to call 811 first. Tennessee 811 provides communication, education, and notification services to advocate for the prevention of damage to underground utilities. Breaking utility lines is dangerous and can be deadly, and one free call to 811 alerts the utilities to mark their underground lines near your dig site. Craig Ingram is Public Awareness Manager for Tennessee 811 and recently is spoke with Tennessee Matters host John Clark.

The Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability was created to provide leadership relating to the challenges of aging on behalf of older persons in our state. The commission’s mission is to bring together and leverage programs, resources, and organizations to protect and ensure the quality of life and independence of older Tennesseans and adults with disabilities. Recently Tennessee Matters host John Clark spoke with James Dunn, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability about the commission’s numerous programs designed to improve lives and support caregivers.

The largest employer in Tennessee is the state government with more than 43,000 employees and about 1,300 different job classifications. To recruit and retain the best and the brightest workforce possible, the state created the Learning & Leadership Development division to build high impact training programs for its employees including leadership development. Dr. Rena Hall is Human Resources Program Administrator for LLD and recently she talked about the program with John Clark and Tennessee Matters.

The Tennessee Dept. of Safety and Homeland Security is always on alert, and for a good reason. The department has the primary responsibility and authority for directing statewide activities to prevent terrorism in Tennessee. The department is made up of Drivers Services, The TN Highway Patrol, The TN Highway Safety Office, as well as Homeland Security. Tennessee Matters host John Clark recently talked with Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long and TN Highway Safety Office Director Buddy Lewis about the state of safety and security in Tennessee, and what you can do to help.

Founded in 1854, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture is the oldest state agency in Tennessee. In its history, there have been few years as challenging for Tennessee farmers as 2022. Dr. Charlie Hatcher was sworn in as Tennessee's 38th Commissioner of Agriculture in January 2019 after serving as the State Veterinarian for a decade. Dr. Hatcher is a fifth generation Tennessee farmer and recently spoke with John Clark about his leadership role and the current state of the business of agriculture in the Volunteer State.