Council Staff

 

To contact  the  Council, call our office at 615-532-6615 or email tnddc@tn.gov.  Staff contact information listed below.

 

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Lauren Pearcy, Executive Director - 615.739.0649 | lauren.j.pearcy@tn.gov

Lauren has worked at the Council since 2016 and served as Executive Director since 2022. Before joining the Council staff, she worked at the State Medicaid Agency, TennCare, in Long-Term Services and Supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Lauren started her career at the National Governors Association in Washington, DC, where she fell in love with disability policy after being assigned staff to Delaware Governor Jack Markell’s initiative, “A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities.”

headshot of Lynette Porter, a white woman with short brown hair, a striped blouse and black cardigan

Lynette Porter, Deputy Director - 615.347.0886 | lynette.porter@tn.gov

Lynette has worked at the Council since 2000. Her primary roles include overseeing the agency budget, operations, and compliance with state and federal policies. For over a decade prior to the Council, Lynette managed staffing, contractors and operations in the private sector. Her personal connection to the disability field started with her daughter with a disability, who is now an adult.

headshot of Ashley Edwards, a white woman with long brown hair, a black shirt and gray sweater

Ashley Edwards Hill, Assistant to the Executive Director - 615.477.0676 | ashley.edwards@tn.gov

Ashley joined the Council as Assistant to the Executive Director in 2018. She previously worked in the education field, where teaching students with disabilities became a passion for her. Her main responsibilities include supporting the Executive Director and Council members, meeting planning and coordination, and special projects.

headshot of JoEllen Fowler, a white woman with short brown hair and an orange striped knit sweater and black blouse, glasses and gold earings

JoEllen Fowler, Office Resources Manager - 615.418.9373 | joellen.fowler@tn.gov

JoEllen has worked at the Council since 2003. As the administrative lead for the Council, her responsibilities include coordinating agency technology, public records management, Council meeting venue logistics, and other operational activities. Before the Council, she worked at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Developmental Disabilities. Her interest in the disability field was sparked by a her cousin who has a disability.

headshot of Mildred Sparkman, a Black woman with curly black ringlets and a blue blouse

Mildred Sparkman, Administrative Secretary - 615.968.2658 | mildred.sparkman@tn.gov

Mildred joined the Council staff in 2004. In addition to a variety of other duties, Mildred serves as first point of contact for many people contacting the Council by assisting all callers to the Council’s main phone line and welcoming agency visitors. She provides administrative support for all Council programs, maintains Council subscription lists, and supports logistics for Council meetings and our leadership development programs.

headshot of Alicia Cone, a white woman with short gray hair and an embroidered purple blouse with a state of TN and a leadership academy pin on it

Alicia Cone, Director of Program Operations - 615.487.9561 | alicia.cone@tn.gov

Alicia has been at the Council since 2000. Her primary responsibilities include federal and state reporting, contracts, program evaluation, and data collection. She has worked in several different areas of the disability field since her first job after college, which was supporting Mississippians with intellectual disabilities to find employment in their communities. Her connection to the disability community started with her sister, who has a disability.

headshot of Jolene Sharp, a white woman with long curly brown hair, a white blouse and a beige suit jacket

Jolene Sharp, Chief Strategy Officer - 615.917.0824 | jolene.sharp@tn.gov

Jolene Sharp has been with the Council since 2019, when she joined staff as head of communications. In her current role, she provides vision and oversight for all three of the Council’s work areas: leadership development, public policy, and communications.  Jolene’s roots in the disability community go deep as both the daughter of a father with a disability and mother to two children with disabilities.

headshot of Emma Shouse Garton, a white woman with short brown hair, brown glasses and an olive green blouse

Emma Shouse Garton, Director of Public Policy - 615.964.0432 | emma.shouse@tn.gov

Emma joined the Council in 2011 after completing a public policy college internship there the year before. She worked in supporting the Council's communications efforts and other priorities from 2011-2023. She now leads the Council's public policy work and tracks developments about Council priorities. She also supports the Tennessee Adult Brothers and Sisters (TABS) statewide sibling support network, launched by the Council and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center a decade ago. She is passionate about this work because she has a younger brother with disabilities.

headshot of Emma Shouse Garton, a white woman with short brown hair, brown glasses and an olive green blouse

Blake Shearer, Director of Leadership Development - 615.955.4256 | blake.a.shearer@tn.gov

Blake joined the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities in 2024, bringing extensive experience in disability services and education. Previously, he served as Transition Director for Tennessee’s Vocational Rehabilitation program, overseeing initiatives like Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and Project SEARCH. He also worked at the Tennessee Department of Education, improving post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, and began his career in Putnam County Schools as a special education teacher and consulting teacher. A Tennessee Tech graduate, Blake is passionate about collaboration, capacity-building, and fostering inclusive communities.

headshot of Emma Shouse Garton, a white woman with short brown hair, brown glasses and an olive green blouse

Dirk Strider, Communications Coordinator  - 629.259.5806 | dirk.strider@tn.gov

Dirk joined the Council in June 2024. His primary responsibilities include producing Breaking Ground magazine and the e-news, and updating the Council's website, as well as supporting the Council's communications efforts. As a proud self-advocate with autism and ADHD, Dirk brings a unique perspective to his role. He is passionate about connecting people with disabilities to resources and information, drawing from his personal experience navigating support systems as a special interest.  Before joining the Council, Dirk developed expertise in simplifying complex information for marginalized communities.