In Touch with Tennessee

MTAS Municipal Management and Finance Program Manager Angie Carrier and Farragut Town Administrator discuss the new Tennessee  Retail Alliance.  Tennessee cities are the economic engine of our state. For many communities, sales tax is the predominant revenue stream to provide services to the citizens of Tennessee. The Municipal Technical Advisory Service or MTAS created the Tennessee Retail Allian...

At the end of 2022, the Law Enforcement Innovation Center launched a Master of Public Information Officer certification. The certification is geared toward first responder PIOS throughout Tennessee. LEIC Training Specialist Jeff Hundley and Sgt. Evie West, PIO for the Cleveland (TN) Police Department join this episode to talk about the program and its curriculum. 

In 2022, the East Tennessee Local Workforce Development Area, under grant funds from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, tabbed the UT Center for Industrial Services or CIS to operate the American Job Centers in East Tennessee. As the One-Stop Operator, CIS will coordinate multiple American Job Center partners and service providers throughout the East Tennessee Local Workf...

The Tennessee Language Center's interpretation and translation services program provides language interpretation across the state. Clients include medical offices, courts, school systems and various state departments.  Hear more about the program from Interim Director Eric Amos and from Barbara Tallent with the Nashville Children's Alliance. 

The County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) and the Tennessee  County Services Association (TCSA) work hand-in-hand to benefit the state's 95 counties. CTAS Executive Director Jon Walden, TCSA Director David Conner and TCSA Board president and Roane County Commissioner Ron Berry  discuss the CTAS and TCSA partnership through the years. 

Before they take office, newly elected sheriff's in Tennessee attend a training course. The course, developed by the County Technical Assistance Service and the Tennessee Corrections Institute, orients new sheriffs with everything from personnel matters to jail management. CTAS Field Consultant Manager Jim Hart, Tennessee Corrections Institute Executive Director Will Wall and new Loudon Count...

Center for Industrial Services Program Manager Beth Phillips discusses the agency's manufacturing resiliency initiative. Through this initiative, UT CIS is connecting manufacturers and communities to resources including the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the University of Tennessee EDA University Center, Tennessee Developme...

Catch up with the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership with the center's Executive Director Kim Harmon.  Harmon discusses the agency's newest training offering Civility, Respect and Engagement in the Workplace (CREW).

MTAS Legal Consultant Elisha Hodge interviews Tennessee Open Records Counsel Maria Bush about the Open Records law. They discuss the law, how it works and how citizens can understand it. 

Consultants with the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS)  and County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS)  worked with communities surrounding Ford's Blue Oval City development to help them plan for the growth. In this episode, MTAS Municipal Management Consultants Chuck Downham and Ronnie Neill discuss their presentations to regional municipalities and how these cities can plan for th...

Donnie Ross, a training specialist, with the UT Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC), talks about the rural law enforcement training initiative at the center. He travels across the state and nation to take the top-notch training offered by LEIC to small law enforcement departments. 

MTAS Municipal and Finance Program Manager Angie Carrier discusses the Successful Connections program. Successful Connections is a joint venture with MTAS, CTAS and the Tennessee Comptroller's office. It brings together city, county and utility officials to discuss issues that are keeping them up at night. 

Jennifer Tourville, executive director of the Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource for Tennessee (SMART), talks about the mission of the organization and becoming an initiative under the UT Institute for Public Service.  She discusses the vision of SMART becoming a resource for the state's local governments, industries and law enforcement. smart.tennessee.edu 

We interview Workforce Development Specialist Tim Waldo, who works with the UT Center for Industrial Services. Waldo discusses the Great Resignation, how it's affecting the workforce as well as the employers in Tennessee.