Gary Cordell Appointed Director of Consumer Affairs
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | 11:12am
NASHVILLE- Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak is pleased to announce her appointment of Gary Cordell as director of the Tennessee Consumer Affairs Division.
“We are very excited to welcome Gary to our department,” said McPeak. “Consumer Affairs does an immeasurably large amount each year to help resolve disputes within the marketplace and to educate consumers. Gary brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position.”
Cordell, who started work as director this week, previously served as the finance director with the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee. A business leader with experience in operations management, finance and staff development, Cordell also was chief operating officer at Clayton Associates and was president of Cherokee Equity Corporation. He is a member of the Student of Integrity Scholarship Committee with the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee, and is a past chairman of the BBB’s board. He also is a past chairman of the Board of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. In 1986, he was campaign manager for former Gov. Winfield Dunn.
Cordell earned a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from Trevecca Nazarene University and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Behavior from Covenant College. A retired licensed real estate broker, Cordell was an adjunct professor for three years at Aquinas College in Nashville, where he taught management and strategic business.
Cordell also was a Grassland Athletic Association youth baseball coach. He and his wife, Kathleen, reside in Franklin and have five children.
During fiscal year 2010, Consumer Affairs (www.tn.gov/consumer/) addressed more than 5,396 written complaints, returning $3.1 million to consumers through mediation. Consumer Affairs is a division of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, which works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/