There are three new faces confirmed on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC), including one Chattanoogan.
The 13-member TWRC is the governing body over the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
William Brown (Chattanooga), Jeffrey Griggs (Lexington), and Julie Schuster (Pegram) have been confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly to serve as members of the TWRC.
They join Dr. Jeff McMillin (Bristol) and Eric Wright (Elizabethton) who were appointed earlier this spring to serve as statewide representatives.
Brown will be the commissioner for District 4 (Chattanooga area) which is comprised of Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe, Sequatchie, Hamilton, Bradley, Marion, and Polk counties. An attorney, he is a partner in the firm of Miller Martin, PLLC. Brown is a graduate of the University of Chattanooga and the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University where he received his doctorate of jurisprudence.
He is a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association and American Bar Association. He is a fellow in the Chattanooga Bar Association and Tennessee Bar Association and a Tennessee Judicial Conference trustee. He is an elder in the Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church.
Griggs will represent District 7 which consists of Hardin, Decatur, Perry, Henderson, Carroll, Benton and Henry counties. A life-long resident of Henderson County, he has been the maintenance supervisor for Beech River Watershed Development Authority (BRWDA) since 2007. Prior to joining BRWDA, he was vice president/general manager for Griggs Big Star from 1974-2007.
He has been very active in the Henderson County area including serving on the board of directors for the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Association of Southwest Tennessee, and governing board for the Exchange Club Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. He has served as president of the Henderson County Child Abuse Board and the Lexington Rotary Club. He is also a volunteer fireman and a member of the Henderson County Election Commission and E911 Board.
He is a member of the 2004 WestStar Leadership Class and serves on its Alumni Board. He has coached numerous youth athletics teams for 29 years and has worked in sports radio.
Schuster is the representative for District 6 which consists of Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, Lewis, Maury, Hickman, Williamson, Dickson, Humphreys, Houston, Cheatham, Stewart, and Montgomery counties. She serves as an outdoor marketing consultant, freelance writer and photographer. She is a member of several associations including Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program, Legends of the Outdoors, Tennessee Outdoors Association, National Wild Turkey Federation Diamond Life member, National Rifle Association, Quail Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited and Hunt Staff-Commando Hunting Products.
Her articles and photographs have appeared in publications across the country. She was co-host of Outdoor Trail Magazine for four years that was on the radio weekly in Nashville on Saturday mornings. She worked as promotions/marketing manager at the Nashville location of the nation’s largest outdoor supplier, Bass Pro Shops, for nine years.
The three new commissioners have all been appointed to six-year terms (2009-15). The TWRC meets on a monthly basis.