Haslam Announces Larry Martin As F&A Commissioner

Martin has served as interim commissioner since Emkes retirement

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced Larry Martin as commissioner of the state Department of Finance and Administration (F&A).

Martin has been the interim commissioner since June 1 after former commissioner Mark Emkes’ retirement.

“I want to thank Larry for continuing to serve Tennesseans as the F&A commissioner,” Haslam said. “Putting together the budget is one of the most important things we do, and Larry’s skills and experience with complex systems and organizations is unmatched.”

Last year, he joined the governor’s staff as a special assistant to the governor, working alongside Human Resources Commissioner Rebecca Hunter to oversee the implementation of Haslam’s civil service reform, the Tennessee Excellence, Accountability and Management (TEAM) Act; and reviewing state employee compensation.

From September 2006 to December 2011, Martin, 65, served as deputy to the mayor in Knoxville for both Haslam and Mayor Daniel Brown. He was responsible for Finance, Public Works, Community Development, Information Systems, Purchasing and Risk Management for the City of Knoxville.

Prior to joining city government, Martin was an executive of First Horizon/First Tennessee Bank, joining the company in 1969 and serving in various capacities before retiring as the chief operating officer for First Tennessee Financial Services with responsibility for all Tennessee Regional Bank Markets; Merchant Services Processing; Hickory Venture Capital; and the Commercial, Corporate and Middle Market Divisions of the bank. A native of Jackson, Tenn., Martin received his bachelor of science from the University of Tennessee’s College of Business.

“I look forward to continuing the good work of the governor and applying his thoughtful and comprehensive approach to the budgeting process,” Martin said.