Staff News

Ethan Holden joined the staff in 2022 as co-coordinator of the National Register of Historic Places Program. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Master of Arts in History from Middle Tennessee State University. Holden is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University. Prior to his arrival at the Tennessee Historical Commission, Holden worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation. He completed various projects during his tenure there, including a survey of Wilson County’s Century Farms and various historic structure reports for properties across the state. Holden also worked as an Architectural Historian for Thomason & Associates.

Holly Barnett Promoted
On December 19, Holly Barnett was promoted to Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer and Assistant Director for Federal Programs. Barnett has two decades of historic preservation experience in Tennessee, most recently as the Tennessee Historical Commission’s Federal Program Staff Supervisor and Preservation Tax Incentives program coordinator.  

New commission member announced
Alec Richardson, a University of Tennessee at Martin alumnus, was appointed to serve as the Governor’s representative on the Tennessee Historical Commission in the fall of 2021. He is the Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of External Affairs for Governor Lee.