Tennessee Commissioner Joins Distinguished Group of Government Leaders

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) Commissioner Clarence H. Carter is joining a nationally recognized group of leaders dedicated to providing guidance on the most important governance issues of the nation. As a member of the National Academy of Public Administration, Carter will join more than 940 Fellows on the Academy including former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, prominent scholars, business executives, nonprofit leaders, and public administrators.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be selected to join a collective body as distinguished and influential as the National Academy of Public Administration,” said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter.  “The Academy creates a space for some of the most accomplished minds in the country to come together and take on the government challenges of our American society.”

Commissioner Carter has led the Tennessee Department of Human Services since he was appointed in January. His vision of fundamentally changing the way government assistance is delivered to families is now taking shape through the TANF Opportunity Act. In the coming years this legislation will help families grow their capability to overcome life’s challenges by reducing their dependency on supportive services.

Prior to his appointment at TDHS, Commissioner Carter was the Director of the Office of Family Assistance and Acting Director of the Office of Community Services within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Carter has served his entire career administrating public support agencies and programs at the federal, state, and local levels of government, serving two presidents, four governors, and a mayor.

Chartered by Congress to provide non-partisan expert advice, the Academy is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization established in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable, and transparent organizations. Selection of the Academy’s new Fellows follows a rigorous review of the individual’s contributions to the field of public administration and policy.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services is dedicated to making our state a place where all Tennesseans can move beyond the barriers they may face, to self-sufficiency, and on to new heights.

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