Note: This listing of new members is based on unofficial election returns provided by the Tennessee Department of State. The list will be updated as needed based on final election results as reported by the Secretary of State’s Office.
Tennessee House of Representatives: New Members
Timothy Hill (R), House District 3
Hill is a graduate of TriCities Christian School, Northeast State Community College and East Tennessee State University. Holding a degree in Public Relations, Hill has worked in local radio and in Washington, D.C. as Press Secretary & Communications Director for former Congressman David Davis. He owns Right Way Marketing.
James ‘Micah’ Van Huss (R), House District 6
Van Huss resides in Sulphur Springs with his wife, Annie. He graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 2003 with a Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Van Huss has served in the U.S. Marine Corps, deploying to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once during the last six years. Micah was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for saving the lives of Marines and Iraqi civilians in Fallujah, Iraq in 2007.
Tilman Goins (R), House District 10
Goins currently resides in Morristown with his wife, Lenka, and son, Tilman III. He has served in both the US Marine Corps (1996-2001) and the US Army (2001-2004), and currently serves on the Hamblen County Commission. Goins earned an A.S. in History/Geography from Walters State Community College and both a B.A. in International Affairs and a B.S. in History from East Tennessee State University.
Dale Carr (R), House District 12
Carr is a graduate of Sevier County High School. He has served on the Sevierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen since 2005. He is a Founder and Partner at Thompson Carr Auction. In the community, Carr has served as a volunteer fireman and Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club of Sevier County. He has been married to his wife, Jo Ann, for 38 years.
Gloria Johnson (D), House District 13
Gloria Johnson holds a degree in Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Johnson is employed by the Knox County School System and has over 24 years of experience in educating special needs children. In 2009 and again in 2011, Johnson was elected to serve as Chairwoman of the Knox County Democratic Party.
Andrew Farmer (R), House District 17
A native of Sevier County, Farmer holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and Marketing from East Tennessee State University and a Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Farmer owns a solo-practice law firm and title company and previously interned for the Tennessee Supreme Court. He lives in Sevierville with his wife, Mariah.
Mike Carter (R), House District 29
Carter resides in Ooltewah with his wife, Joan. Carter holds a B.S. in Pre-Law from Middle Tennessee State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis. In 1997, he was appointed as Judge of the General Sessions Court of Hamilton County by Governor Don Sundquist. Carter also served as Special Assistant to the County Mayor during the term of Claude Ramsey, who now serves as Deputy Governor of the State of Tennessee.
Ron Travis (R), House District 31
A native of East Tennessee, Travis and his family reside in Dayton. He has worked in the insurance business for over 30 years, operating agencies in five East Tennessee counties. He and his wife, Laura, have two daughters. Travis is a member of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, MainStreet Dayton, and the First United Methodist Church in Dayton.
Kent Calfee (R), House District 32
Calfee served on the Roane County Commission from 1986-2006. A graduate of Roane County High School, Calfee attended East Tennessee State University. He is now retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he worked as a Quality Representative. He and his wife, Marilyn, have four children and six grandchildren and reside in Kingston, TN.
Dawn White (R), House District 37
A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, White holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction, and Education Specialist in Administration and Supervision. She worked as a kindergarten teacher in Murfreesboro for seven years, and then became a small business owner. White lives in Murfreesboro with her husband, Chad.
William Lamberth (R), House District 44
Lamberth is the Assistant District Attorney of Sumner County. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a Juris Doctorate from the College of William and Mary. He currently serves as the Treasurer of the Republican Party of Sumner County, President of the Gallatin Rotary Club, and as Chairman of the Portland Community Education Foundation. He and his wife, Lauren, have two children.
Lt. Col. Courtney Rogers (R), House District 45
A resident of Sumner County, Rogers holds a B.S. in International Relations with a Certificate in Soviet Studies from the University of Southern California and a Masters in Public Administration from Central Michigan University. She has served in the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserve for 28 years, earning the rank of Lt. Colonel. Rogers is a graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee. She and her husband, Mike, have three children.
Bo Mitchell (D), House District 50
Bo Mitchell, a graduate of David Lipscomb University and the Nashville School of Law lives in Bellevue, Tennessee with his wife, Chastity, and two sons Parker (6) and Brady (4). He has served on the Nashville Metro Council for District 35 since 2007 and previously worked for Governor Phil Bredesen and former State Senator Pete Springer.
Jason Powell (D), House District 53
Jason Powell, a native of Nashville, graduated from the University of Colorado and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Tennessee State University. Powell currently serves as the Director for CHASCo, the Coalition for Healthy and Safe Campus Communities, a statewide partnership of public and private universities dealing with various issues. Powell currently lives in Nashville with his wife, Heather and daughter, Sophie.
Susan Lynn (R), House District 57
Lynn served in the State House of Representatives from 2002-2010. During her tenure, she served as Chairman of the House Government Operations Committee and as a member of the House Calendar and Rules Committee, the House Commerce Committee, the Small Business Subcommittee, the Budget and Tax Reduction Task Force, and the Ethics, Open Government and Election Law Task Force. Lynn holds a B.S. in Economics. She currently serves as Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Commerce Task Force and owns Regulatory Compliance Group.
Harold Love (D), House District 58
Love holds a B.S. in Economics and Finance from Tennessee State University and a Masters in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University. Since 2002, he has served as the Pastor of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Nashville. He also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Tennessee State University Foundation, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Administration.
Darren Jernigan (D), House District 60
Upon graduation from Hunters Lane High School in 1988, Jernigan received Political Science and Public Relations degrees from Austin Peay State University. Jernigan interned for the U. S. Department of State and worked for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. prior to completing a Masters degree in Criminal Justice at Middle Tennessee State University. Jernigan has previously served as an appointed Commissioner of the Old Hickory Utility District, was elected as a Democratic Committeeman, and was elected to the Metro Nashville City Council. He and his wife Michelle Morse Jernigan have four children. He is a member of the Occupational Therapy Board at Belmont University, Old Hickory Masonic Lodge, and the Tennessee Disability Coalition. He serves as the Director of Government Affairs for Permobil, Inc.
Jeremy Durham (R), House District 65
Durham resides in Franklin with his wife, Jessica. He is a partner at Hawkins, Durham & Associates where he primarily focuses on small business law. Durham graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2006. He received his law degree from the University of Memphis. Jeremy has served as Chairman of the Tennessee Young Republicans and founded the Tennessee Young Republicans PAC.
Barry Doss (R), House District 70
Doss is a native of Lawrence County. He holds a B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Tennessee and currently serves as President at Doss Brothers Construction Company. He previously served on the Lawrence County Commission, and has also served on the Lawrenceburg Planning Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Columbia State Community College Board of Directors.
Mary Littleton (R), House District 78
A longtime Dickson, resident, Littleton has 20 years of experience in small business as co-owner of Littleton Trucking. She serves on the Dickson County Sanitation Board and the Planning and Zoning Board. She has been an active member of the American Cancer Society, the High Noon Rotary Club, and has served as vice chairman and as a State Executive Committee member of the Tennessee Republican Party. Married to husband Tony, Littleton attends the Pond Church of Christ.
Debra Moody (R), House District 81
Moody and her husband have four children. She has served as Chairman of the Tipton County Republican Party and as a member of the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee. She is Chairman of the Board for Confidential Care for Women and Co-Chairman on the National Day of Prayer (Tipton County). Moody attended Arkansas State University and the University of Memphis. She is an active supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
Roger Kane (R), House District 89
Kane, a Knoxville resident, holds a B.A. in Business Administration and History Education from the University of Houston. He has worked with Farmers Insurance since 1988. Kane is a licensed instructor with Kaplan Financial. He has twice been elected the president of the Greater Karns Business Association and has served on the Karns High School Foundation Board. Two of his children have participated in athletics at the University of Tennessee. His youngest daughter, who started college this past fall, is a majorette at UTK.
Billy Spivey (R), House District 92
Spivey previously served as Chairman of the Marshall County Commission. He and his wife have six children. He is a combat veteran and served during Desert Storm. Spivey currently works as Maintenance Supervisor at Walker Die Casting. On the issues, Spivey’s campaign website states, “I will never support a tax increase to fund the state budget shortfall and instead will demand state agencies reduce spending.” He further notes, “We should limit government spending to no more than population growth and inflation.”
Tennessee Senate: New Members
Frank Niceley (R), Senate District 8
Niceley, a farmer from Strawberry Plains, served as a state representative during the 96th-97th and 104th-107th General Assemblies. During his tenure, he served as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and as a member of the House Conservation and Environment Committee, the House Calendar and Rules Committee, and the House General Subcommittee of Agriculture. He holds a B.S. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Niceley is a member of Tennessee Farm Bureau.
Todd Gardenhire (R), Senate District 10
Gardenhire currently serves as a Senior Vice President for Morgan Stanley. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and has a background in public service. He served in White House Advance Operations under President Reagan and was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Pension Benefit Guaranty. Gardenhire has served on the U.S. Department of Labor’s ERISA Advisory Council, including a term as Chairman.
Janice Bowling (R), Senate District 16
Bowling is a graduate of Auburn University. Locally, she has served on the Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Alderman for over ten years. She has been involved in a number of political campaigns and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 and 2004. She serves on the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee.
Ferrell Haile (R), Senate District 18
Haile is a small business owner, farmer, and pharmacist from Sumner County. He is a graduate of Lipscomb University and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Haile serves as a board member of the Sumner County Health Department and as a member of the Tennessee Pharmacist Association. He is a member of the Tennessee Cattleman’s Association and Tennessee Farm Bureau, and has formerly served an appointed term in the Tennessee State Senate.
Dr. Steve Dickerson (R), Senate District 20
Dickerson is a physician and founding partner of Anesthesia Services Associates. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of the South and a medical degree from Wake Forrest University. Dickerson currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia and in 2009 was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Medical Laboratories. He resigned from this position to run for State Senate.
Dr. Mark E. Green (R), Senate District 22
Green currently serves as the President and CEO of Align MD and is an active practicing physician. He is a graduate of West Point, a 16-year Army veteran, and has been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds a Masters Certificate from the University of Southern California in Information Systems and a medical degree from Wright State University. His military awards include the Bronze Star and the Air Medal, amongst others. Green states that would “require that no education legislative initiative be passed without first including input from front line teachers at all levels of the education system.”
John Stevens (R), Senate District 24
Stevens resides in Huntingdon with his wife and two daughters. He is an attorney in private practice. Stevens holds a Bachelors from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis. He was appointed to the Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy by Governor Bill Haslam, and the Post-Conviction Defender Oversight Commission by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey. He formerly served as a legislative liaison under Governor Don Sundquist.
Dr. Joey Hensley (R), Senate District 28
Hensley served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives during the 103rd through 107th General Assemblies. During his tenure, he was a member of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, the House Education Committee, and the House Health and Human Resources Subcommittee. He also served as Chairman of the House Education Subcommittee and as the Republican Caucus Treasurer. He is a physician, holding degrees from Columbia State Community College, the University of Memphis, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
