Haslam Announces Alexia Poe as Communications Director

Poe Previously Served in Nashville Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development

NASHVILLE – Governor Bill Haslam today announced Alexia Poe as Director of Communications for his administration, filling the role Tom Griscom has held on a consulting basis since December.

“I’m excited to have Alexia joining the administration as Communications Director,” Haslam said. “She has a wealth of knowledge and experience from her work at the federal, state and local levels as well as in the private sector, and I look forward to working with her as we take our focused message on job creation, education reform and budget management to the people of this great state.”

Poe’s start date is March 14, and she currently serves as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development in Nashville. Before joining Mayor Karl Dean’s staff, she was managing director of a small public affairs firm in downtown Nashville. 

Prior to that, Poe spent nearly four years with Gaylord Entertainment serving as director of public affairs where she oversaw the company’s government relations, community relations and charitable foundation.

“Alexia has done a wonderful job for the city," said Dean. "During tough economic times, she’s overseen significant recruitment projects including Loews Hotels moving operations from New York to Nashville, and Asurion expanding its headquarters by 600 jobs. Gov. Haslam has made a great hire, and we look forward to seeing her succeed at the state level.”

The majority of Poe’s career has been spent in public service. She moved to Nashville in 1997 to work in the Sundquist administration, where she became the second female and youngest person in the state’s history to serve as press secretary for a governor. She then moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked in the White House as deputy press secretary to First Lady Laura Bush. Following that, she headed to Capitol Hill where she built U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander’s press office from the ground up after his election in 2002.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working for Mayor Dean and it has been a privilege to contribute to the process of creating jobs in Nashville,” said Poe. “I look forward to this new challenge and am honored to be asked to serve by Governor Haslam.”

Poe, a Knoxville native, earned her bachelor of science in communication from the University of Tennessee. After graduation, she worked as a television reporter and morning anchor in Northeast Tennessee.

Poe serves on the board of directors for Fifty Forward (formerly Senior Citizens, Inc.) and attends West End Community Church.  She and her husband, Charley, live in Nashville and have two young children.