TN Department of Safety & Homeland Security Recognizes Appointments & Promotions
Wednesday, August 24, 2011 | 08:52am
NASHVILLE--- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security officials formally recognized four recent promotions and swore in the agency’s first Assistant Commissioner for Driver Services in a special ceremony today at the Tennessee Highway Patrol Training Center in Nashville. Commissioner Bill Gibbons, Deputy Commissioner Larry Godwin and THP Commander Tracy Trott were on-hand to congratulate the recipients.
Lori Bullard, a 25-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department, began work today in the newly created position of Assistant Commissioner of Driver Services. Lieutenant Colonel Dereck Stewart and Major Betty Blair, whose rank advancements were both announced earlier this month, were also recognized for their respective achievements. Major Blair is the agency’s first female Major. THP Special Operations personnel Ed Cherry and Aussie Thaxter were acknowledged for their promotions to Lieutenant and Sergeant, respectively.
After holding the rank of Major for 11 months, Dereck Stewart was promoted to Lt. Colonel over the Highway Patrol’s Support Services Bureau on August 1. Prior to his promotion to Major, Stewart oversaw the Research, Planning and Development Division as Captain. Stewart also served two years as Captain in the Office of Professional Responsibility (now Inspectional Services Bureau) and as a Lieutenant and Sergeant in the Training Center from July 1995 to January 2007. He also serves as the Emergency Service Coordinator for the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Stewart was commissioned as a Tennessee State Trooper in December of 1987 and was assigned to Montgomery County. He is a 1997 graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, and a 2009 graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Betty Blair, who most recently served as Captain over the Inspectional Services Bureau (formerly the Office of Professional Responsibility) was named Major and will be assigned as the Executive Officer to the Colonel. Major Blair has been part of the Inspectional Services Bureau (ISB) since 1999, first as a trooper assigned to the Accreditation Team. She rose through the ranks of Sergeant and Lieutenant of the Staff Inspection and Accreditation Team, becoming Captain over the entire ISB in 2009. Blair started her career with the THP in 1994 as a Road Trooper in the Cookeville District. Prior to her service in the THP, Blair worked for the Department from 1983 through 1993 as a Driver License Examiner, Training Coordinator and Issuance Manager. Blair is a graduate of the Northwestern Police Staff and Command School and was nominated by her classmates and instructors to receive the Kremel Leadership Award. She also completed the Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation and Advanced Reid Technique Interviewing and Interrogation courses.
Ed Cherry was promoted to Lieutenant in the Special Operations Unit. A 19-year law enforcement veteran and 17-year Tennessee State Trooper, Lt. Cherry held the rank of Sergeant in Special Operations for nine years before his most recent promotion. However, he began his career as a Road Trooper in Humphreys and Montgomery counties after graduating from the THP Training Academy in 1994. In 1997, Lt. Cherry was then assigned to the Special Operations Bomb/Tactical Unit in Nashville. The Dover, Tenn., native is a certified bomb technician and holds the position of Bomb Squad Commander for the Highway Patrol. Lt. Cherry also has 12 years’ experience as a handler for an explosive detector canine. During his law enforcement career, Cherry also worked with the Clarksville Police Department. He earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and is also a graduate of the Hazardous Devices School in Huntsville, Ala.
An 11-year veteran of the state, Aussie Thaxter has earned the rank of Sergeant in the THP Special Operations Unit. Since 2002, Sgt. Thaxter has served in the Bomb Squad and Tactical Unit as a Bomb Technician Trooper and has also acted as a K-9 handler. He joined the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2000 and was first stationed in Hardeman County in the Memphis District. Sgt. Thaxter played a major role in the 2002 Trooper Cadet class by serving as an adjunct instructor at the THP Training Academy. He is also a proud four-year member of the THP Honor Guard. Originally from Jackson, Tenn., Sgt. Thaxter graduated from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command in 2002. Prior to his career with the Highway Patrol, he served a six-year stint as Corporal for the Boliver Police Department.
Photos are available upon request.
The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.TN.Gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.
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