Mike Krause is joining Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Nashville office as a senior adviser in Bradley’s Government Affairs and Economic Development practice groups.

Krause represents clients before the executive and legislative branches of government in both Tennessee and Washington, D.C.

As executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Krause served as the chief advocate before the legislature and executive branch for the state’s $2.1 billion higher education budget and successfully launched multiple workforce training programs resulting in Tennessee being recognized as the top higher education agency in the nation in 2020 by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.

Most recently, Krause served as the coordinator for all statewide higher-education efforts relative to COVID-19 and acted as the liaison between campuses and the Tennessee Department of Health and the governor’s Unified Command Group during the pandemic.

Before THEC, Krause served as a senior staff member for the office of Gov. Bill Haslam and as executive director for Tennessee Promise.

Krause earned a master of public policy from Vanderbilt University after graduating from Austin Peay State University. He also served in the United States Army as a member of the 101st Airborne Division.

Vanhooser joins Bone McAllester Norton

Bethany Vanhooser has joined Bone McAllester Norton PLLC as the firm’s newest attorney.

She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville College of Law and served as editor-in-chief of the Tennessee Law Review.

Vanhooser previously worked at Bone McAllester Norton as a summer associate. She also served as law clerk at the University of Tennessee Office of the General Counsel for two years and as a summer associate at Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter PLLC in Knoxville.

During law school, Vanhooser was a teaching assistant for legal process and a member of the Law Women organization. Upon graduation, she was invited to be a member of the university’s Order of the Coif honor society. She earned a degree in economics and political science and a master’s degree in public policy and administration from the University of Tennessee.

Tennessee Guard gets new commander

Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, Tennessee’s Adjutant General, has announced that Brig. Gen. (Tenn.) Juan R. Santiago of Memphis is to become the new commander of the Tennessee State Guard.

Santiago has served in the military as a member of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force Reserves or the Tennessee State Guard for more than 30 years. He is a veteran of Desert Storm and served as an Information Technology (Cyber) Officer for the Air Force.

As a volunteer in the Tennessee State Guard, Santiago served in multiple leadership positions including regimental commander, chief of staff, and deputy commanding general for operations. He is also the executive director of the State Guard Association of the United States.

Santiago is scheduled to assume command from Brig. Gen. (Tenn.) Craig Johnson, who has been the commander of the State Guard since August 2016, in an official ceremony in February 2021.

The Tennessee State Guard is the all-volunteer arm of the Tennessee Military Department headquartered in Nashville. It consists of approximately 500 personnel and authorized by Tennessee Code Annotated 58 1-401.

Affinity Technology Partners adds 3 team members

Affinity Technology Partners continues its growth by adding three team members: Leslie Armstrong, Austin Edwards and Melissa Istre.

Armstrong is a client service representative who will serve as an advocate ensuring Affinity’s clients receive excellent and timely service. She returns to Affinity after some time spent in Salt Lake City working as a school admissions director. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia.

Edwards is an inside sales representative who introduces Affinity’s approach to managed information technology services to businesses in the greater middle Tennessee area. He was previously a business development representative with MedArchon. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky.

Istre is senior accountant, managing both internal and external financial responsibilities of the company. She has worked with businesses and nonprofits in several states before relocating to the Nashville area. She holds an A.A.S. in business management from Northern Virginia Community College. She provides pro bono accounting services for Tennessee Youth Courts.

Dowdle Construction adds project assistant

Dowdle Construction Group has added Daniel Vincent as a project assistant. He will be responsible for communicating with subcontractors, maintaining project documentation and keeping projects on schedule and within budget.

Vincent joins Dowdle with a diverse background in construction, maintenance and engineering work. Most recently, he was facilities maintenance technician at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Previously, he served as a non-destructive testing engineer, first for Chevron Oil and Gas Refinery and then for Amphion Analytical Engineering.

He also has invested in, remodeled and flipped homes, at one time working on a crew with Extreme Home Makeover, as well as volunteering his time with Habitat for Humanity.

Vincent holds a degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed NDT technician training in non-destructive inspections and the study of metallurgy in 2012.

Samuels appointed to Amedisys’ board of directors

Ivanetta Davis Samuels, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Meharry Medical College, has been named to the board of directors for Amedisys, one of the largest home health care providers in the United States.

Samuels will leverage 25 years of experience practicing both criminal and civil law to counsel Amedisys on legal affairs as the organization focuses on providing high-quality care to the aging population.

Samuels serves as an adviser to Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, president and CEO of Meharry, and the Meharry Executive Leadership Council, providing strategic legal expertise and overseeing all legal affairs.

Samuels is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, Napier-Looby Bar Association, National Association of College and University Attorneys and Association of Corporate Counsel. She is also a Tennessee Bar Foundation Fellow, recognized for her achievements and commitment to the legal profession.

She earned is a graduate of Northwestern University and earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University.

TN Serves Neighbors announces first 3 hires

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville, has filled the first three positions for its new Tennessee Serves Neighbors program that will expand Catholic Charities services to five additional Middle Tennessee counties over the next 12 months.

The new hires include: Loleetha Gilbert as county program expansion director, David Pemberton as human resources manager and Rebecca Nichols as volunteer/student intern manager.

Tennessee Serves Neighbors was created with a $7.3 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Human Services as part of its nationally recognized two-generation approach to helping families. Each 2Gen grant is funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal program.

Gilbert has more than 11 years of experience working for the TDHS. Most recently she oversaw the federally funded Childcare Certification Program for Middle Tennessee. She also held additional positions writing plans and managing state workforce programs at the Tennessee Department of Workforce and Labor Development. Gilbert holds a degree from Tennessee State University.

Pemberton brings more than a decade of nonprofit human resources management experience. He most recently served as human resources manager at the Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency. He also served in top human resources roles at The United Methodist Publishing House and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is a graduate of Purdue University.

Nichols will manage the acquisition of student interns from programs such as the University of Tennessee School of Social Work. She joins Catholic Charities after 20 years at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. As senior house manager, she was responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training all staff as well as overseeing capital projects.

Nichols is a graduate of Fairmount State University and holds a master of fine arts from Florida State University.

Holt to join TN Dept. of Agriculture

Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M., has announced the addition of Andy Holt to the Business Development Division of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Holt will serve as director of business development in support of economic development initiatives, as well as agriculture and forestry industry expansion.

Holt served in the Tennessee House of Representatives, District 76 covering Weakley County and parts of Carroll and Obion counties from 2010 to 2020. During his tenure, Holt served on several committees and was chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee. He and his wife, Ellie, own and operate Holt Family Farms, an agritourism and livestock farming operation in Dresden.

Holt is a former Financial Services Officer at Farm Credit Services and former Greenfield Fertilizer manager at Weakley County Farmers Cooperative.

Holt’s educational background includes a degree in agricultural economics and business with a minor in animal science from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He earned an MBA from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a focus on economics and finance.