Welcoming 3 new Commissioners to the TN Arts Commission

Governor Haslam appoints Gatlinburg’s Cindy Cameron Ogle, Townsend’s Henry “Hank” Dye and Nashville’s Mary Donnet Johnson to the Tennessee Arts Commission board

By Anne B. Pope, Executive Director –

The TN Arts Commission is honored that Governor Bill Haslam has appointed three community leaders and arts champions to join the Commission board. The 15 volunteer board members of the Commission are selected from citizens who have demonstrated a vital interest in the arts and culture of TN, and are appointed by the Governor for a five-year term.

Cindy Cameron Ogle of Gatlinburg, TN will represent the 1st Congressional District for FY2015-FY2020. Gatlinburg’s City Manager since 1989—the longest tenure in the history of the city—Ogle oversees daily operations and ensures policies and programs approved by the Gatlinburg City Commission are implemented in an efficient and effective manner. Ogle is also responsible for the management of over 350 employees and a budget that has nearly tripled in her time of service.

Ogle was awarded City Manager of the Year in 2002 by the TN City Management Association for her many years of excellence in service. 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 of TN City Management Association, and Vice President for the board of International City Management Association. She is currently a member of the University of TN Knoxville Master of Public Policy and Administration program Board of Advisors. 

Ogle lives in Gatlinburg with her husband Larry “Bud.” They have two daughters and eight grandchildren.

Mary Donnet Johnson of Nashville, TN will represent Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District for FY2015-FY2020. Originally from Vermont, 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. Her experience now extends nationally in writing, directing and producing scripts for commercial radio and television spots, as well as corporate videos. A playwright since 2012, her first play was awarded semi-finalist status by the National Playwrights Conference of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in 2014, and her latest play has been chosen for inclusion in the 2016 Venus/Adonis New Play Festival in New York. Johnson also co-founded the theater workshop, “Life Adventures Onstage,” to reach under-privileged inner-city children and give them a way to tell their stories and affect positive change in their lives.

Johnson now makes her home in Nashville with her husband of 24 years, and is the proud mother of two young adults, one typically developing and one with autism. She 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.

Henry “Hank” Dye of Townsend, TN will represent the 2nd Congressional District for FY2015-FY2020. Dye is one of three founding partners of the Nashville public relations agency Dye, Van Mol & Lawrence (DVL). Established in 1980, DVL is now one of the 10 largest PR agencies in the Southeast. He did communications work for brands including Jack Daniel’s, Martha White, Johnston & Murphy, The Grand Ole Opry, Nestle Water, Saturn Corporation and numerous political campaigns. Following his 40-year PR career in Nashville, Dye went to work as Vice President for Public and Government Relations for the University of TN, Knoxville. Dye retired from UTK in July, 2012.

In addition to numerous UT boards and councils, Dye has also served as Chairman of the Nashville Sports Council and 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.

A native of Portland, TN and a 1963 journalism graduate of UT, Hank now resides in Townsend. He is married to the former Margaret Strom and has two adult sons and six grandchildren.

Stephanie B. Conner, Chairman of the Board says, “The appointments of Cindy, Mary and Hank will bring valuable enrichment and experience to the Commission. We look forward to working with each of them to support the vast arts culture in Tennessee and benefit our communities.”

We are so proud to have three more members of this caliber become part of the Commission. Please join us in welcoming Cindy, Mary and Hank to our board.