NASHVILLE – Lookout Mountain resident Chris Devaney is expected to participate in his first meetings this week as a newly minted member of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission.
That comes after the Tennessee House’s 73-10 vote last Thursday to confirm him. A former Tennessee Republican Party chair, Devaney was appointed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee to the panel, which oversees the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in the regulation of fishing, hunting and boating.
Devaney served as Lee’s 2018 campaign manager and later as a special assistant to the governor. He later left the Lee administration to become a founding partner at The Poplar Group, a public affairs and strategic counseling firm.
“My first and main priority will be to uphold the trust placed in me as a commissioner and to look out for the concerns of all the people in the southeast district that appreciate and enjoy the outdoors,” he said by email Monday.
Devaney’s appointment by Lee earlier encountered some pushback by Senate Republicans Mike Bell of Riceville and Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga. The lawmakers questioned his experience, noting Devaney had started seeking Tennessee hunting licenses only in 2017.