The board of directors of the Hamilton County 911 Emergency Communications District voted in a special called meeting Wednesday to confirm Jeff Carney as executive director of the district, effective immediately. Mr. Carney has worked with the district for more than 30 years and has been serving as acting executive director when John Stuermer retired from that position last December.
Dr. Richard Brown, chairman of the board of directors for the 911 Emergency Communications District, said he was delighted to confirm after a search process the appointment of Mr. Carney as the next executive director of the district. "Jeff brings an extraordinary base of experience to this important role on local, state and national levels,” said Dr. Brown. “We remain confident that all the citizens of Hamilton County and the partner agencies we serve will continue to receive outstanding emergency services support from an effective, committed and compassionate team of emergency services professionals. We welcome Jeff to this executive leadership role, and he can be assured of the full support of our board.”
Mr. Carney has overseen day-to-day activities of the district as operations director for the past 15 years. In that capacity, he has been responsible for the direction and overall performance of the Emergency Communications Center. He holds numerous certifications in emergency communications and currently serves as first vice president of the Tennessee Emergency Number Association (TENA). He is also chair of the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board’s (TECB) Operations Advisory Committee, a member of the TECB’s Policy Advisory Committee and deputy state coordinator for the Tennessee Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT).
Mr. Carney began his career as a Telecommunicator and has steadily worked his way to his newly confirmed position as executive director. He gives credit to those who patiently trained and mentored him throughout the years and hopes that his latest promotion ratifies the field of emergency communications as a true career-level vocation where an employee may rise to the top of the organization through study and dedication.
Mr. Carney said he is very humbled to be chosen to lead an awesome group of employees who make such a profound impact on people’s lives with every call they answer. “It is an important responsibility that I do not take lightly,” he said. “I’m grateful to Chairman Brown and the board of directors for their trust in me and I look forward to continuing the pattern of excellence that Hamilton County 911 has set.”