Jane Young Named General Counsel for Tennessee Department of Health

NASHVILLE — Jane Young has been appointed general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Health. As general counsel, she is responsible for oversight of all legal matters for the department. This includes supervision of a staff of 38 employees and legal work for more than 30 boards and numerous state public health programs. Young will also serve as ethics compliance officer for TDOH.

"Jane has a diverse legal background and a wealth of experience that will serve this department well,” said Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “I am pleased she is joining our team and look forward to her input as part of my executive staff.”

Young has served as a staff attorney for the Tennessee Supreme Court and as senior counsel with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, where she represented the State of Tennessee in state and federal courts in matters related to criminal appeals, employment, prison civil rights and education. She has served as a staff attorney with the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Young also has worked as an administrative law judge with the Tennessee Board of Equalization, where she presided over and decided cases filed by property owners contesting appraisal value and classification of property, and as a law clerk to Judge Samuel L. Lewis, Tennessee Court of Appeals, where she researched and prepared draft opinions.

"I am honored to work with Commissioner Dreyzehner and the other professionals serving the citizens of Tennessee,” said Young. “I look forward to working with the dedicated staff in the Office of General Counsel as we seek to provide quality legal services while maintaining the highest ethical standards."

Young received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Tennessee and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Samford University, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Young’s community involvement has included work as a volunteer with Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s pro bono program. She has served as a volunteer member of the Foster Care Review Board, and received the 2010 outstanding service award from this organization. She has also served as a member of the Ethics Review Committee of Life Care Center of Red Bank, and as an elder in the Second Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga.