By Erik Schelzig
Associated Press
NASHVILLE – Republican Gov.-elect Bill Haslam on Wednesday tapped Republican stalwart and former gubernatorial candidate Jim Henry, of Kingston, to be commissioner of the new state Department of Intellectual Disabilities.
The agency previously had been part of the state’s finance department, but lawmakers decided to spin it off into a standalone department beginning Jan. 5.
Haslam said in a news release that Henry has “dedicated much of his legislative and professional career to helping families and children affected by intellectual disabilities and its unique challenges.”