Nick Atwood was appointed by Governor Bill Lee in October 2024 to serve as the Director of Military and Veteran Initiatives (DMVI). He manages the Governor’s Veteran Fellowship Program and serves as the Chief of Staff for the Tennessee Tri-Stars and Stripes Council.

Prior to his appointment as DMVI, Nick served as a liaison from November of 2022 to October of 2024 within the Governor’s Office of Communications to all 23 cabinet-level departments. In this role, he worked with commissioners, deputy and assistant commissioners, chiefs of staff, and communications directors to achieve synchronization of external messaging and coordination of the timely and accurate flow of information across multiple levels of leadership to enhance decision-making outcomes.

Before joining Tennessee State Government, Nick retired at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Four from the Tennessee Army National Guard after a successful 30-year career in the Active/Guard Reserve (AGR) program. Over the course of his extensive career, Nick held countless assignments in both traditional National Guard and Active Army units, accumulating a wealth of experience in technical fields such as aviation, training, communications, and leadership across all organizational levels. He is a rated UH-60 (Blackhawk) Helicopter Pilot and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Nick holds a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership and management from Regent University, where he graduated with honors and received the prestigious Leadership Award. He served as the veteran commissioner from 2014-2015 on the Metro Nashville Homelessness Commission, where he advocated for the many organizations within Davidson County that provide care and support for the veteran community.

Nick resides in East Nashville with his wife, Caryl, a successful senior executive in the music industry. They are a military family, with two sons currently serving on active duty in the Army.  Nick and Caryl are the proud grandparents of Thomas, Samson, and Eli.