Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has named Hodgen Mainda as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance.
In a statement, Government Lee said that, "Hodgen joins my cabinet after an outstanding career as a community leader in Chattanooga. He is respected for his ability to build partnerships across multiple sectors and we welcome his leadership to such a multifaceted department like Commerce & Insurance."
Mr. Mainda currently serves as the vice president for community development at the Electric Power Board ("EPB") in Chattanooga, which is the first provider of gigabit internet in the country.
In addition to his work with EPB, Mr. Mainda serves on several non-profit boards, including the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Chattanooga Rotary Club, the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor's Roundtable, and the College of Business Advisory Board.
Mr. Mainda also is a member of the Leadership Tennessee Class of 2019 and a 2018 graduate of the Harvard Business School Young American Leaders Program.
A native of Nairobi, Kenya, Mr. Mainda, moved to Tennessee in 1997 to study at Middle Tennessee State University. He is a graduate of the University of Eastern Africa and currently resides in Chattanooga with his wife and two children.
Mr. Mainda will begin his new role on October 1, 2019.
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].