Press Releases

Townsend resident to be the new Tennessee Arts Commission Secretary

Nashville—Hank Dye of Townsend, Tennessee, will serve as the Tennessee Arts Commission Secretary for fiscal year 2019. His term began on July 1, 2018 and will conclude on June 30, 2019. The Commission members unanimously voted for the new leadership during the quarterly meeting held in Nashville on May 30, 2018. Chair Steve Bailey of Knoxville and Vice Chair Andrea Loughry of Murfreesboro will join Dye in office.

“We are so pleased about the selection of Mr. Dye as the incoming secretary,” says Anne B. Pope, Tennessee Arts Commission Executive Director. “The arts in Tennessee are very fortunate to have Mr. Dye’s experience as a long-time arts advocate and community leader.”

Governor Bill Halsam appointed Dye to a five-year term at the Commission in 2015, representing District 2. He has served on the Commission’s Allocations Committee and the Interboard Committee for Governor’s Arts Awards

“I have seen how Townsend has benefitted from strong arts and culture. The arts help improve our communities and schools while making us more rounded individuals,” said Dye. “I am honored to accept this new leadership position on the state level.”

Dye retired from the University of Tennessee in July 2012. He joined the University April 1, 2005 as Vice President for Public and Government Relations, following a 40-year public relations career in Nashville. His UT involvements include being a past member of the Athletics Board, the Development Council, the National Alumni Board of Governors, the Public Affairs Committee and the College of Communications Board of Visitors.

In 1980, he was one of three founding partners who started the Nashville public relations agency Dye, Van Mol & Lawrence. The agency became one of the ten largest public relations agencies in the Southeast. He did communications work for brands including Jack Daniel’s, Martha White, Johnston & Murphy, Genesco, Inc., The Grand Ole Opry, Nestle Water, The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Economic and Community Development for the State of Tennessee, Saturn Corporation and numerous political campaigns.

He is past Chairman of the Nashville Sports Council and has previously served on the executive committee of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Board, the board of the Music City Bowl, the Advisory Board of Nashville YWCA, the board of Leadership Nashville Alumni and the executive committee of the board of Nashville Alliance for Public Education. He served as an elder at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville. He is a Nashville Advertising Federation Silver Medalist. Dye currently serves as a member of the board for the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

The Tennessee Arts Commission is a state arts agency whose mission is to cultivate the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities. A 15-member board that is appointed by the Governor for a five-year term governs the Tennessee Arts Commission. The Commission meetings occur quarterly and are open to the public. More information about the Tennessee Arts Commission can be found at the website, tnartscommission.org.

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