NASHVILLE - Gov. Bill Lee has reappointed Dakasha Winton, senior vice president and chief government relations officer for Chattanooga-based BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, as a member of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Winton is one of nearly 200 people appointed by Lee to dozens of state boards and commissions, including a number of people from the Chattanooga area.
THEC is the state's coordinating authority for implementing Tennessee's higher education public and financial policy.
"I am proud to announce these appointees who will help our state continue to flourish and be a leader in the nation," Lee said in a statement. "I would like to thank these leaders for being willing to serve our state and help us solve many of the big issues important to Tennesseans."
Appointments were effective July 1.
Other area appointments include:
» Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks, a former Tennessee legislator, was appointed to the State Workforce Development Board as a representative of the state's mayors. The board provides leadership and guidance to state workforce development officials on boosting a skilled workforce.
» Dorothy Grisham of Chattanooga, owner of a local Allstate Insurance agency, was reappointed as a trustee on the board of East Tennessee State University.
» Manchester auto dealer John Roberts was reappointed to the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission, which oversees regulation and licensure of Tennessee motor vehicle dealers and salespeople. He serves as chairman.
» Ian Leavy, assistant general counsel at Volkswagen Group of America, was reappointed to the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission.
» Dane Bradshaw, president of Chattanooga-based development firm Thunder Enterprises and a former University of Tennessee Vols basketball player, was appointed to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. The organization recognizes and honors athletes, teams, coaches, sports writers and sports administrators who have made an impact on the history of sports in Tennessee.
» Dr. Robert Zylstra of Hamilton County was named to the state board of Social Work Licensure. Zylstra is a professor, director of behavioral science and assistant program director of the Family Medicine Residency for UT's College of Medicine in Chattanooga.
» Dr. Curtis Powell of Hamilton County, vice president of quality and compliance for Chattanooga-based Siskin Hospital, has been appointed to the state Board of Respiratory Care as a representative for hospital administrators. Dr. Gary Lovelady, a pulmonary specialist from Tullahoma, was named as a representative of practicing physicians.