Blackburn Appoints Kaestner to Finance, Retains Tourism and Agriculture Chiefs

Gov.-Elect Marsha Blackburn named Todd Kaestner as the new commissioner for Finance and Administration. The appointment adds a former local government official to her incoming cabinet as she prepares to take office in January 2027.

Kaestner served on the Williamson County Commission and briefly ran for Williamson County mayor in 2026. He currently holds a seat on the Tennessee Board of Regents, a term that expires in June 2028. Before joining the Board of Regents, Kaestner worked as the chief financial officer and executive vice president of corporate development for Brookdale Senior Living.

Blackburn also confirmed that Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Mark Ezell and Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt will remain in their positions. Ezell was first appointed by Gov. Bill Lee in 2019. Lee appointed Holt to his current role in 2025 after Holt served as deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner for the Business Development Division and previously represented a district in the state House of Representatives. Both men described their continued service as an honor.

The governor-elect named Russell Thomas as chief legal counsel. Thomas most recently served as the executive director of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission. With Thomas’s departure, assistant director Tabatha Blackwell will serve as the interim director of the ABC. Blackburn also appointed Ben Blackmon as policy counsel. Blackmon currently serves as Blackburn’s chief counsel in her role as a U.S. senator. He previously held that title for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, which Blackburn chairs, and served as counsel for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Ward Baker, founder of the political consulting firm Baker Group Strategies, will lead the executive leadership team for Blackburn’s inauguration. The firm managed her campaign for governor. The team includes executive director Amy Pass, donor relations director Melina Settles, communications director Anna Katherine White, and strategic adviser Mary Morgan Ketchel, who is Blackburn’s daughter.

The inauguration committee includes several co-chairs from across the state. Daphne and Scott Andrew from the Tri-Cities, Anita and Tom Decosimo from Chattanooga, Stephanie and John Ingram from Nashville, and Anne and Mike Keeney from Memphis will serve in that capacity. Jim Haslam will act as honorary co-chair for the January 2027 ceremony.