News

FY20 Commission Board Goodbyes

By Anne B. Pope, Executive Director —

It is time once again to say thank you and goodbye to a few of our Commission board members. Each member is appointed by the governor and serves a five-year term. Additionally, each fiscal year a new executive committee is voted in by the board to lead the Commission that year.

The following Commissioners have completed their appointed five-year term on the board. While we are sad to see them leave the board, we know that their work will continue to impact the arts in Tennessee.

A native of Portland, Tennessee, and a 1963 journalism graduate of UT, Hank 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 10 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. Hank is currently the chair of the board for the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and is a Tremonster — an endearing term reserved for those special folks who volunteer at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and dedicate portions of their lives to the daily cause in Walker Valley.

Originally from Vermont, Mary Donnet Johnson spent a decade in NYC working as a professional actress in movies, television, radio, opera, off-Broadway and on tour before making her way to TN. During that time she co-founded the theater workshop called “Life Adventures Onstage” with Kathleen Held and Willie Reale (now a MacArthur Fellow), to reach under-privileged inner-city children and give them a way to tell their stories and affect positive change in their lives.

Mary was also an avid collaborator with emerging playwrights and performed in readings and productions of many new plays during her tenure in New York. Her experience extends nationally in writing, directing, and producing scripts for commercial radio and television spots, as well as corporate videos. Her fondest memories of acting include performing with Knoxville native John Cullum in The Magistrate in Boston, touring the country in The Impossible Years with Ted Knight, and playing opposite Dustin Hoffman (briefly!) in the film, Tootsie.

Mary now makes her home in Nashville with her husband and has served on many non-profit boards, including four terms on the Governor’s Advisory for the Education of Students with Disabilities. She has also written and published three books and speaks frequently on the subjects of autism, resiliency and teamwork. Mary started writing plays in 2012, and her work includes “Twinkle,” (O’Neill National Playwright’s Conference Semi-Finalist in 2014), “Coquettes and Consequences”(chosen for inclusion in New York City’s Venus/Adonis Festival in 2015), and several others which have been performed in Nashville, as well as her short play, “Sin Cycle,”  which was a finalist for the Kentucky Women Writer’s 2017 Biennial Prize for Playwriting (judged by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok).

Cindy Ogle is Gatlinburg’s City Manager, a position she has held since 1989—the longest tenure in the history of the city. In her role as City Manager, Cindy oversees the daily operations and ensures that policies and programs approved by the Gatlinburg City Commission are implemented in an efficient and effective manner. Cindy is also responsible for the management of over 350 employees and a budget that has nearly tripled in her time of service.

Cindy was awarded City Manager of the Year in 2002 by the TN City Management Association for her many years of excellence in service. In the past, she has served on the Board of Directors for Alternative Care Enterprises, Overlook Mental Health Center, the TN Municipal League and more. She was also President of the board for the TN City Management Association, and Vice President for the board for the International City Management Association. She is currently a member of the TN MPPA Board of Advisors.

It has been an honor to work with these dedicated members of Tennessee’s arts community. Their efforts to cultivate the arts across the state are timeless and will continue to impact communities for years to come. We joke at the Commission that we say goodbye to our Commissioners, but we never really let them go. We know that although these advocates are leaving the board, they are not leaving the arts — we look forward to seeing their continued leadership in the arts.