Meet the Commissioners

Tamara has over 25 years of experience in real estate and finance, both as a corporate attorney and a business executive. Tamara has dedicated her time and energies to making a positive difference in Knoxville and throughout East Tennessee, serving on boards for both local and national non-profit organizations focused on children and economic development. Despite professional opportunities that could have lured her away from Knoxville, Tamara has been determined to remain in her adopted hometown and to dedicate her time and talents to enhancing the community. Her goal as a commissioner is to grow and preserve the beauty of the Knoxville area.

A Knoxville native and graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lou is President and CEO of Summit South Mortgage, which he founded in 2002 as a mortgage brokerage firm. He is responsible for mortgage loan production and oversees the strategic direction of the company. Lou has over 15 years’ experience and has closed more than $750 million in mortgage loans during his career. His goal as a planning commissioner is to promote residential growth, means to homeownership, preservation of real estate values, and responsible economic development.

A Mississippi native, Gayle has lived all over the world. After retiring, she relocated to Knoxville and has become very involved in the community. She currently serves on the boards of the East Tennessee Community Design Center, Legacy Housing Foundation, and the Holston Homeowners Association. Her goals as a planning commissioner are to maintain the unique character and natural beauty of our area by ensuring that development is consistent with environmental, social, and economic goals.

Art is President and CEO of Clancy Custom Woodworking LLC. He is former president of the Knoxville Remodelers Council, and has served on the boards of the Homebuilders Association of Greater Knoxville, St. Joseph School, and Knoxville Catholic High School. His goal is to promote economic development, greenway efforts, and downtown redevelopment while protecting neighborhoods and historic overlays.

Mike is a semi-retired general contractor with forty-five years of construction experience and is President of Crowder Construction. He is a lifelong Knoxville resident and is a charter member of the Old North Knoxville Neighborhood Association. He has been a trustee for his church, St. Mark United Methodist Church, a long time volunteer for East Tennessee Children's Hospital and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. Mike is a past President of the Westmoreland Estates Homeowners Association, a member of Knox Heritage and is currently a member of the Knox County Historic Zoning Commission. His goals are promoting quality growth for our city and county, creating responsible attitudes about preservation and ensuring neighborhood stability.

Elizabeth is the principal architect at Elizabeth Eason Architecture. Her work experience includes commercial, retail, hospitality, residential, and government projects with a focus on efficiency, sustainable design, and healthy communities. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects, U.S. Green Building Council, and Knox Heritage and has served on the Knoxville Tree Board, the Board of Environmental Appeals, Knoxville Energy and Sustainability Task Force, and the Tennessee Energy Policy Task Force. As a planning commissioner, her goal is to see Knoxville and Knox County prosper through economical, equitable, and sustainable growth.

Mac is an author and a retired archaeologist. He earned a PhD in Historical Archaeology from Boston University and has worked professionally along the U.S. east coast, in the Caribbean, and in the Pacific. He is an active member in Town Hall East, the French Broad Preservation Association, Slow Food Tennessee Valley, the Slovenian Consulate for Tennessee, and is an adviser to Native Plant Rescue Squad. Mac’s interests as a commissioner are smart growth, a livable city, solar energy, and climate change issues.

Dick is a retired home builder and developer who lives in south Knoxville. He is a past president of both the Knoxville and Tennessee Home Builders Associations. He also served as president of the Lakemoor Hills Homeowners Association and is a former director of MidSouth Mutual Insurance Company. This is the third time Dick has served as an MPC commissioner. His first stint was for two consecutive terms from 1987-1995, including several years when he was commission vice chair and chair. He served again from 2001-2009. His goal with this term is to encourage development that enhances the community and lifestyle of residents, while ensuring careful consideration of pros and cons of each proposal brought to Commission.

Charles is the Match and Training Coordinator for Amachi Knoxville, an initiative of Knoxville Leadership Foundation. A Knoxville native, he also serves as senior pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Alcoa. Lomax graduated from The University of Tennessee with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Political Science. He holds a Master of Divinity Degree from the Morehouse School of Religion of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the National Scholars Honor Society, the International Theological Honor Society of Theta Phi, and the NAACP. His goal as a commissioner is "to help with the enhancement of the Knoxville area for this and future generations."

Chris’s appointment to the Planning Commission represents a homecoming – after graduating from East Tennessee State University with a degree in geography in the early 1990s, Chris joined MPC staff as a planner in the Development Services division, honing his planning and development expertise over several years behind the zoning desk. He then moved into commercial property development locally, most recently rising to the rank of CEO of Safe Harbor Development, a private owner and operator of marinas in the Southeast. Chris also has served the community in a volunteer capacity, as a member of the Knoxville Chamber’s Board of Directors from 2013 to 2016. When asked his goals as a planning commissioner, Chris states that he wants to listen to and work with the community as a whole to ensure quality, responsible, and sustainable growth in Knoxville and Knox County.

Patrick is the retired Executive Director of the Loudon County Economic Development Agency. Patrick holds a Master's degree in Urban Planning from the University of Tennessee. He is a former Vice Chair of the Westwood Homeowners Association, a member of the Knoxville Transportation Planning Organization Technical Committee, and a member of the Tennessee Economic Development Council. He also supports Ijams Nature Center and the East Tennessee Design Center. Patrick's goals as a planning commissioner are to emphasize redevelopment and preservation of local historic and cultural assets unique to the community, preserve neighborhoods, strengthen the local economy, and reduce urban sprawl.

Jeffrey is the vice president of Quality Machine and Welding Company in Knoxville. He has served as the Legislative Committee Chairman and Chairman of the Board for Associated Builders and Contractors. He is active in the Builders Exchange of Tennessee, serving as Treasurer, Board Member, and Executive Committee Member, and he is a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction. Jeffrey has also participated on the Sponsorship Committee for the University of Tennessee Medical Center's Cancer Institute, co-chairing recent fund raising efforts for cancer research. Jeffrey's goal as a planning commissioner is to make informed decisions that foster development in all sectors of Knox County while being cognizant of property rights, property values, and environmental concerns.

Scott Smith is a Knoxville native and the President of Volunteer Realty. He graduated from The University of Tennessee with a degree in economics. He has worked as broker for residential and commercial real estate, has developed residential and commercials properties, and has extensive experience in commercial property management and leasing. Smith is a longtime member of the Home Builders Association of Greater Knoxville and the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors, as well as Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church. He has served on the board of Knoxville Habitat for Humanity and the Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals. Scott's goals as a planning commissioner are to ensure all citizens have a voice in the process and are treated fairly to the betterment of our community. He also wants to make certain that reasonable consideration is given to all parties affected by land use decisions.

A former Knoxville City Councilman, Charles is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and has been a practicing attorney since 1984. Previous to this appointment, he sat on a variety of community and neighborhood boards, including the Knoxville Transportation Authority, Knox Greenways Commission, Broadway Corridor Task Force, and he was chairperson for the James Agee Park Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Legacy Parks Foundation Trails and Greenways Committee and Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association. He was formerly a member of Knoxville Area Transit Citizen's Advisory Board and the Caswell Park Task Force. His goals as a planning commissioner are to help harmonize neighborhood, business, and environmental interests.

Janice, a 25-year resident of South Knoxville, is President of Averra Media Corporation, a website development, multimedia, and custom programming company. Her business is a founding member of the Urban Wilderness Arts and Trade District and she serves as the group's treasurer. She is president of the South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association as well as their representative to the South Knoxville Neighborhood and Business Coalition. She is also a graduate of the CAC Community Leadership course. As a planning commissioner, her goal is to ensure that development is done responsibly with concern for the economy, neighborhoods, the environment and the scenic beauty of Knoxville and Knox County.