County Mayor Weston Wamp on Thursday announced the new staff members who will serve with him as he begins his four-year term leading Hamilton County government.
“I am grateful to have a first-class team joining me in the County Mayor’s office day-to-day to help me execute our ambitious vision for the future of the county,” said Mr. Wamp. “Our aim is to bring a new sense of urgency to county government that is focused on serving people first.”
Staff members include:
- Claire McVay, Interim Chief of Staff.
Ms. McVay, a Chattanooga native and graduate of Duke University, had a distinguished 25-year career working in the U.S. Congress, including in the offices of both former Senator Bob Corker and former Rep. Zach Wamp. The first decade of her congressional career was in Washington D.C. Ms. McVay joined Senator Corker’s staff in 2012, serving as an outreach coordinator and field representative for his Chattanooga office. Ms. McVay and her husband, Wyatt, have four children.
- Cory Gearrin, Deputy Mayor, Economic & Community Development. A graduate of Rhea County High School and Mercer University, Mr. Gearrin retired from Major League baseball in 2020 after 10 seasons in the big leagues. Gearrin served as a board member of the Major League Baseball Player’s Association’s Executive Committee for six years while overseeing its Business Development, Labor and Negotiations committees. Mr. Gearrin is an M.B.A. candidate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and recently finished studies at Harvard Business School. Mr. Gearrin and his wife, Maddi, have one daughter.
- Tucker McClendon, Deputy Mayor, Education & Workforce Development. Mr. McClendon, a graduate of Ooltewah High School and UTC, was elected to the Hamilton County School Board in 2018 at the age of 23. The lack of adequate facilities was his primary focus during his tenure. Mr. McClendon chaired the board in his final year, leading the board through a superintendent search that ended with the appointment of Justin Robertson. Mr. McClendon’s wife, Kaitlin, teaches middle school for Hamilton County Schools.
- Mary Francis Hoots, Director of Communications. Ms. Hoots comes to Wamp’s staff from Local 3 News, where she has been a reporter and weekend anchor since 2019. A Nashville native, Ms. Hoots graduated from Tennessee Tech University in May 2018 where she played Division-I soccer for the Golden Eagles. Ms. Hoots will join the staff in the near future after completing her assignment at Local 3 News.
- W. Davis Lundy, Policy Advisor. Mr. Lundy has lived in Hamilton County for 42 years and is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He spent 17 years in the newspaper industry, seven at the Chattanooga Times, before joining Erlanger Health System. Mr. Lundy ran a strategic communications firm, The Moriah Group, for 19 years after leaving Erlanger.
- Angela Shannon, Assistant to the County Mayor/Office Manager. Ms. Shannon graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in finance. She previously worked at the Chattanooga office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C.
Current staff members Jennifer Pukenas, Director of Operations, and Tonda Paris, Legislative Coordinator, will transition with Mayor Wamp on Thursday.
“We will continue restructuring and modernizing the County Mayor’s Office and other aspects of county general government as we go along in the months ahead,” said Mayor Wamp. “We are pleased that nearly all county administrators and support staff within the county mayor’s office are transitioning with us.”