Gov. Lee Announces Appointment of Deputy Governor
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that Deputy Governor Butch Eley will depart the Lee administration after nearly seven years of leadership in Governor Lee’s cabinet and a distinguished tenure in state government. Eley has served Lee since the early days of running for Governor, and will transition out of government service to continue to make an impact in new ways.
Stuart McWhorter will be appointed to serve as Deputy Governor, effective October 15, in addition to his current role as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
“Since I first decided to run for Governor, Butch Eley has been one of my most trusted advisors and a steady hand in guiding Tennessee through seasons of opportunity, as well as uncertainty,” said Gov. Lee. “From managing the executive branch as chief operating officer, to stewarding our state’s finances through the worst economic crisis in nearly a century, resulting in Tennessee being one of the only states to close those fiscal years positively, to modernizing our infrastructure for generations to come and ensuring Tennessee has the capacity to continue growing, Butch has consistently delivered for Tennesseans. Maria and I are deeply grateful for his unwavering leadership, his heart for service, and his love for Tennessee. We treasure his friendship and pray God’s richest blessings over Butch and his family in the days ahead.”
As one of the longest-serving members of Lee’s cabinet, Butch Eley has been at the forefront of strengthening Tennessee’s fiscal foundation and modernizing the state’s infrastructure. He began his service in the administration as Chief Operating Officer, leading the state’s first four-year strategic planning process to improve performance across state government. As Commissioner of Finance and Administration, Eley guided Tennessee’s financial response to the worst global economic decline since the Great Depression, and under his leadership, Tennessee was one of just five states to close fiscal year 2020 in the black. In addition to his role as deputy governor, Eley most recently served as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, advancing historic infrastructure efforts and positioning the state for continued growth.
“Commissioner McWhorter has served Tennesseans since the early days of my administration,” said Gov. Lee. “During my first term, I called on him to leverage more than 25 years of entrepreneurial and investing experience to successfully steward our state’s finances as Commissioner of Finance and Administration. In my second term, Stuart took on the significant responsibility of recruiting leading global companies to our state, creating greater opportunity for tens of thousands of Tennesseans. I’m deeply grateful for Stuart’s leadership and appreciate his willingness to take on an expanded role as deputy governor.”
Stuart McWhorter has served as a cabinet-level advisor to the Governor since the early days of the Lee administration. He currently serves as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and during his tenure, TNECD has supported 263 projects representing more than 36,000 job commitments and more than $21 billion in capital investment. He previously served as Commissioner of Finance and Administration, where he led the development of two state budgets and co-chaired the Governor’s Healthcare Modernization Task Force. McWhorter was appointed director of the Unified Command Group to coordinate Tennessee’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, stepping up to lead during an unprecedented crisis.
Prior to joining the Lee administration, McWhorter co-founded and chaired Clayton Associates, bringing more than 25 years of entrepreneurship and early-stage investing experience to state government. McWhorter earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Clemson University and master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He and his wife, Leigh Anne, live in Nashville with their five children.