Haslam Announces Policy Director Will Cromer To Join TennCare as Deputy Director, Chief of Staff

Cromer has served as Haslam’s policy director since his 2010 campaign for governor

NASHVILLE—Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced that Will Cromer, his special assistant for strategy and policy director, will be joining the Bureau of TennCare as deputy director and chief of staff. 

“Will has been one of my closest and most trusted advisors for more than six years, and while I think this is a great opportunity for him and the new leadership team Dr. Long is assembling at TennCare, I would be lying if I said I won’t miss having him one floor away,” Haslam said. “Will is incredibly smart and thoughtful, and he has been at the heart of every major policy decision and initiative we’ve launched in our office. I’m excited to see him apply his knowledge and experience in helping manage this $11 billion agency.” 

As special assistant for strategy and policy director, Cromer has led the development and implementation of Haslam’s policy agenda and served as a key advisor and member of the governor’s senior team. He has developed legislation, overseen strategic initiatives, assisted with budget development and served as a liaison to various state agencies and stakeholders.

“It has been an incredible honor to be a part of Governor Haslam’s team and to work every day on a wide range of issues facing our state, from education reform to health care policy to economic development,” Cromer said. “TennCare is one of our most critical areas in state government, and I look forward to continuing to serve this administration and the people of Tennessee in this new capacity.”

Cromer, 31, has served as Haslam’s policy director since his 2010 campaign for governor, during which he was responsible for platform development, debate preparation, issue research and positioning, and assisting with strategic messaging and speechwriting. 

Prior to his time with Haslam, Cromer worked for the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), a bipartisan education initiative founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, where he was involved in a number of areas in the early stages of the organization. Before that he worked in the nonprofit sector in Washington, D.C., promoting free market policies. 

A Nashville native, Cromer is an honors program graduate of Belmont University, where he served as student body president.

He currently serves on the board of directors of the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation and is a member of the Governor’s Rural Development Task Force, Three Branches Institute, and Public Safety Subcabinet.

Cromer and his wife, Catherine, live in Nashville. 

Cromer begins at TennCare on Tuesday, September 6. His successor will be named at a later date.