Leadership Sevier

GOVERNMENT DAY!

Leadership Sevier Class of 2026 kicked off their first program day while Leadership Tomorrow Class of 2026 wrapped up their final one. They spent the day exploring how our local governments operate, collaborate, and serve Sevier County.

We started at the Sevierville Civic Center, hearing from Sevierville City Administrator Dustin Smith and Sevierville City Traffic Operations Manager Joseph Dodgen. Thank you to the Civic Center for hosting and to the City of Sevierville for a delicious breakfast from Collier Restaurant Group!

Next stop: the Gatlinburg Convention Center- with a police es**rt! 🚔 Gatlinburg truly rolled out the red carpet. We heard from Mayor Mike Werner, City Manager Greg Patterson, and Pittman Center City Administrator Tammy Watts, followed by a hands-on tradeshow tour of 15 city departments led by Gatlinburg’s department heads. Thank you to the City of Gatlinburg for hosting and for a fabulous lunch from Holston’s Kitchen!

We then visited the Pigeon Forge City Hall campus, toured the gorgeous new fire station (and yes- the slide!), and heard from Mayor Kevin McClure, City Manager David Wear, Special Events Manager Daniel Barnhart, and Public Information Officer Craig Cruise. The LT group even got a sneak peek of the new police station currently under construction, courtesy of Police Chief Richie Catlett. Thank you to the Pigeon Forge Fire Department for hosting!

We wrapped up at the beautiful new Rex Henry Ogle Courts Building with Mayor Larry Waters, Vice Mayor Bryan McCarter, Sevier County Elected Officials, many Sevier County department heads, and Economic Development Council Director Allen Newton. Thank you to Sevier County for the warm welcome and refreshments!

A powerful reminder that strong communities are built on collaboration, communication, and leaders willing to serve. Thank you to all who invest in making Sevier County thrive! And a HUGE thank you to everyone from our city and county governments who gave their time to be with us today!