Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp on Wednesday announced his appointment of Steven Cogswell, MD, as the new Hamilton County medical examiner succeeding the county’s esteemed Medical Examiner, Dr. James Metcalfe, pending a confirmation vote from the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 3.
Dr. Cogswell is one of few medical examiners in the United States with double board certification by both the American Board of Pathology, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and the American Board of Pathology, Forensic Pathology. His credentials are backed by decades of experience in the medical field where he has spent the last 10 years as the county’s associate medical examiner. His previous posts include stints at the Regional Forensic Center in Knox County, the chief medical examiner in Florida's 5th Judicial District, and the coroner for Bossier City, La.
After completing his residency in 1990, Dr. Cogswell entered the United States Air Force and served as a forensic pathologist for almost a decade. He has been invited to lecture at Quantico for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Treasury Department, and the National Forensic Academy, among others. The board of directors of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, which represents more than 1,100 physicians in the county, unanimously recommended his appointment.
“Dr. James Metcalfe has served Hamilton County with the highest integrity and professionalism, and the citizens of our county owe him a debt of gratitude for his service as he enters retirement,” said County Mayor Wamp.
“Dr. Steven Cogswell has been at Dr. Metcalfe’s side for the last decade, and I have the utmost confidence that Dr. Cogswell will uphold the standard of excellence in the Hamilton County Medical Examiner’s Office as it transitions to a true regional forensics center in the years ahead. Considering Dr. Cogswell’s extraordinary career accomplishments, it is fitting that the board of directors of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society unanimously endorsed his appointment.”
Greg Jackson has been appointed and confirmed as Hamilton County’s next director of Information Technology following Bart McKinney, who has diligently served the county for nearly 40 years. His previous leadership roles include chief information officer at Piedmont University, technical director at Lenoir-Rhyne University, technical director at UTC, and 11 years as the assistant vice president of Information Technology at Chattanooga State.
“As we continue to modernize county government to best serve the people of Hamilton County, Greg Jackson is well qualified to step in and fill the large void being left by longtime director of Information Technology, Bart McKinney,” said County Mayor Wamp. “Greg’s experience at both Chattanooga State and UTC have prepared him to lead a large department serving dozens of facilities across our community."