KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee honored 15 county officials across Tennessee as Certified Public Administrators when they completed the County Officials Certificate Training Program (COCTP) in September.

The 80-hour COCTP is administered by the UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) and is available to every county employee in the state.

“No other state in the nation provides county employees with such specialized training,” said Mike Garland, executive director of CTAS. CTAS is an agency of the statewide UT Institute for Public Service.

Certified Public AdministratorsEach course in the program is designed to aid county government officials in performing their jobs and efficiently administering county services. Classroom topics include ethics, fire insurance ratings, finance, records management, proactive leadership and information technology proficiency.

“Some courses are tailored for a specific office, while others cover general managerial and governmental functions,” Garland said. “The entire program is designed for practicality and to build skills the officials need every day to better serve their constituents.”

Graduates of the program must take 16 hours of training per fiscal year to retain their certification. More than 1,100 county officials have completed the program since its inception in 1982.

Those who completed COCTP in September were:

– Leo Bradshaw, director of purchasing and maintenance, Loudon County
– Barry Brooks, senior accountant, Hamilton County
– Janet Farris, deputy clerk, Hardeman County
– Donna Fort, field appraiser, Wilson County
– Brenda Hawkersmith, deputy trustee, Franklin County
– Julie C. Hill, purchasing agent, Franklin County
– Kathy Lofton, deputy clerk, Weakley County
– Paul Mattila, trustee, Shelby County
– Doris Mays, chief deputy trustee, Gibson County
– Aneta McDaniel, deputy clerk, Weakley County
– Jackie Murphy, sales analyst/deputy assessor, Wilson County
– Eugene Murray, county commissioner, Wilson County
– Natalie Porter, register of deeds, Carroll County
– Whitney White, tax relief/freeze coordinator & administrative assistant, Bradley County
– James Wilhelm, trustee, Coffee County

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Cutline: Front row, left to right: Julie Hill (Franklin County); Janet Farris (Hardeman County); Natalie Porter (Carroll County); Brenda Hawkersmith (Franklin County); Gene Murray (Wilson County); Second row: Kathy Lofton (Weakley County); Jackie Murphy (Wilson County); Donna Fort (Wilson County); Aneta McDaniel (Weakley County); Doris Mays (Gibson County); Whitney White (Bradley County); Back row: Paul Mattila (Shelby County); James Wilhelm (Coffee County); Leo Bradshaw (Loudon County); Barry Brooks (Hamilton County).

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Contacts:

Queena Jones, (865) 974-1533
Robert Schettler, (615) 532-3555

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