Cookeville native Waddell named Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture

By TN Dept. of Agriculture

October 30, 2002

NASHVILLE, October 29, 2002 – State Agriculture Commissioner John W. Rose announced the appointment of K. David Waddell as assistant commissioner of the Department of Agriculture. Waddell succeeds Mike Countess, who assumed duties as deputy commissioner in September.

“We are fortunate to have someone of David’s abilities and experience to step into a key position in the department,” said Rose. “He is highly regarded throughout agriculture, business and state government. Having previously served the department, he will be instrumental in helping us move forward in many important program areas, especially as it relates to regulatory and legislative affairs.”

As assistant commissioner for policy and legislation, Waddell will be responsible for ensuring that the department has appropriate statutory authority for programs and services. He will assist in the administration of programs, help formulate policy and serve as legislative liaison to the General Assembly.

Waddell, 46, is the former executive secretary of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) where he operated as chief administrative officer for the utilities and communications oversight agency for six years. Prior to his tenure at the TRA, he held the position of vice-president and directed government relations for the Tennessee Association of Business. Waddell previously served as assistant commissioner of the Department of Agriculture from 1981 to 1994.

Waddell received a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a bachelor’s degree in Government and Public Administration from Lipscomb University in Nashville. He is a 1986 graduate of the Tennessee Government Executive Institute.

He has served as vice-chairman of the staff sub-committee on Executive Management for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions. He served as Agriculture’s representative on the state Water Quality Control Board from 1990 to 1994, and is a former member of the Tennessee Municipal Solid Waste Advisory Committee. He was a loaned executive with the United Way in 1990.

Waddell is a native of Cookeville, Tenn. He and his wife, Cindy, have two children, Emily and John, and reside in Brentwood, Tenn.