TDEC Office of Communications
Eric Ward, Communications Director
Eric.Ward@tn.gov
(615) 289-4516
Eric Ward is a senior communications executive and trusted advisor to leadership at the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC), where he has served since 2014. With more than a decade of Tennessee state government experience, Ward provides executive counsel on complex issues, high-stakes communications, strategic initiatives and matters of public importance.
Over the course of his tenure, Ward has helped lead communications through changes in gubernatorial and department leadership, the COVID-19 pandemic, major natural disasters and other high-profile and rapidly developing situations. His experience provides leadership with continuity, institutional knowledge and steady strategic counsel during periods of significant change and uncertainty.
Ward’s work has included major initiatives involving Tennessee State Parks, conservation, natural areas, community investment and the responsible stewardship of Tennessee’s natural resources. He has helped communicate initiatives and investments that protect Tennessee’s natural heritage, strengthen communities and enhance the quality of life for Tennesseans.
Before joining TDEC, Ward built his communications career in the private and nonprofit sectors, advising organizations across a range of industries and helping leaders navigate strategic communications, public relations and organizational priorities.
Ward has a longstanding commitment to community service and youth development. He previously served on the board of Nashville RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities), where he played an instrumental role in the organization’s recovery following the Nashville floods of May 2010. Today, he continues to give back to his community by coaching youth baseball.
A resident of Nolensville, Ward is a native of Owensboro, Kentucky, and has made Tennessee his professional and personal home for more than a decade. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Strategic Communication from the University of Kentucky in 2008.
Jennifer Donnals, Senior Communications Advisor
Jennifer.C.Donnals@tn.gov
(629) 294-0122
Jennifer Donnals is Senior Communications Advisor for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. She has a distinguished record of service in state government, including serving as Director of Communications for Gov. Bill Haslam in 2018. Donnals returned to state government in 2024 after two years as Chief Operating Officer for The Adoption Project, a non-profit organization focused on adoption and foster care policy.
She was Chief of Staff from 2019-2022 for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and briefly served as Director of Communications for the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office. Before serving on Haslam’s communications team from 2015-2018, Donnals was Director of Communications for five years for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
She was previously Director of Communications for the Shelby County District Attorney. Donnals was a producer in television news in Memphis, Montgomery, Ala., and Toledo, Ohio. Gov. Bill Lee in 2023 appointed Donnals to serve a three-year term on the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. She is a graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Donnals and her husband have one daughter and live in Nashville.
Samantha J. Jean, Deputy Director of Digital Communications
Samantha.J.Jean@tn.gov
(615) 767-7907
Samantha Jean is Deputy Director for Digital Communications at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), where she helps lead the department’s digital communications strategy and efforts to modernize how TDEC connects with Tennesseans. With nearly two decades of communications experience and more than a decade in Tennessee state government, Jean brings extensive experience in strategic communications and public engagement to her role.
Jean’s work focuses on making government communications more accessible and useful to the people it serves. She helps guide TDEC’s digital presence with an audience-centered approach, exploring new technologies and strategies to communicate complex issues and strengthen public understanding of the department’s work.
Before joining TDEC, Jean served for ten years as Director of Communications for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. In that role, she led communications for an agency whose work reaches communities across the state and plays an important role in Tennessee’s economy. Her state government experience includes advising leadership, communicating major initiatives and navigating high-profile issues. She has also worked extensively to translate complex government programs and policies into information Tennesseans can understand and use.
Jean began her career as a television producer. That experience continues to shape her approach to public-sector communications, particularly her focus on understanding what matters to an audience and communicating it clearly.
Throughout her career, Jean has focused on adapting communications to a rapidly changing technology landscape. She combines the fundamentals of effective communication with a willingness to rethink how government reaches people, particularly as technology changes how Tennesseans find information and interact with public agencies.
Jean is a native of Tennessee. She earned a bachelor's degree in Electronic Communication from Middle Tennessee State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.