Executive Management Bios

He also led the Human Resources department with oversight over Employee Relations, Labor Relations, Talent Acquisition and Business Support functions.  In addition to 20 years of human resources and 13 years of operations experience, Juan is an active member of the community and serves on the PENCIL Foundation Alumni Board of Directors, Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence Board of Directors, and the National Association of State Personnel Executives, Vice-President.

Juan is a results-oriented energetic leader with a focus on excellence in communication and continuous learning.

Juan received a bachelor’s degree in business from North Carolina Wesleyan College and MBA from Queens University in Charlotte, NC.

Lesley previously served as the EEO Administrator and Deputy General Counsel for the Department. In this capacity, she offered advice and counsel to her agency and state agencies in the areas of employment law, ADA, FMLA, workplace discrimination, harassment, and investigations. Lesley has experience in state and federal civil rights laws, employment laws, and affirmative action. 

Prior to joining the Department in February 2013, Lesley served as the Assistant General Counsel for Civil Rights for the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE). Her responsibilities in that role included investigating civil rights complaints within Tennessee public schools K-12 and employment issues within TDOE. She also provided training, legal advice and technical assistance to TDOE and Tennessee school officials on school law, employment law, and civil rights matters, including assistance in creating the Tennessee Bullying Prevention Program in schools. Prior to joining TDOE in April 2007, Ms. Farmer worked for a private law firm in Memphis, TN practicing in the areas of criminal defense, family law, personal injury and general civil litigation.

Lesley earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and her law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey’s School of Law. She is a graduate of Lead Tennessee, Tennessee Government Executive Institute, the Department of Human Resources Executive Leadership Institute, and the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law. She has also been trained as a Rule 31 Mediator.

In his current work, Kim serves as the project lead for Strategic HR Service Delivery. This statewide initiative centralizes into DOHR the routine HR workload currently performed by agency HR teams, and increases the strategic capacity of the enterprise HR community. Strategic HR Service Delivery empowers agencies to increase focus on developing talent, including strategies for recruitment, retention, workforce development, and succession planning. These strategic HR functions are essential for agencies to develop the high performing workforce required to meet the state’s future needs. Kim also leads a team of HR professionals who provide daily HR services for DOHR, DGS, and nine other small agencies and commissions. 

Kim joined DOHR in September 2015 as the Director of HR and Talent Management. Prior to joining the department, he served as Director of Human Resources for the Department of Children Services where he helped establish customer-focused HR operations as a value-added strategic business partner. Kim has nineteen years of HR management and related experience in the public and private sectors, including finance, engineering, and manufacturing. He is known for coaching leaders at all levels to manage employee relations with integrity as a method to achieve sustained business results.

Kim earned a Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Western Kentucky University. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a clinical focus from the University of Central Florida. He is an alumnus of the Young Leader’s Council Nashville, LEAD Tennessee, and the state’s HR Master Series.

Prior to joining DOHR in 2016, Coretta served as the Director of Human Resources for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) where she oversaw employee relations, performance management, and workforce planning.  She has over 25 years of experience in the areas of human resources, training and development, and continuous quality improvement. 

Coretta is a Rule 31 Trained Mediator, a DOHR Certified Facilitator and a graduate of Tennessee’s leadership programs: Tennessee Government Executive Institute, LEAD Tennessee, and HR Master Program.  She earned her Master’s degree in Public Service Management from Cumberland University and her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Middle Tennessee State University. 

Craig spent over 15 years working in the private sector prior to joining Tennessee State Government having served in various management and HR related roles. He began his career in Tennessee State Government in 2005 on the frontlines as a Case Manager with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS). Prior to transitioning into the area of HR with the State of Tennessee, he held various roles related to direct service delivery with DCS. In addition to DCS and DOHR, Craig worked with the Tennessee Department of Correction where he served as an Employee Relations Manager and Assistant Director of HR. In March 2019, Craig came to DOHR from DCS where he had served as DCS Field Services HR Director, Director of Internal Affairs, and Executive Director of HR. 

Craig graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and received his Master’s degree in Public Service Management from Cumberland University. He is a graduate of Tennessee Government Executive Institute, HR Master’s Series, and LEAD Tennessee. Craig serves as a mediator in the Tennessee Employee Mediation Program and holds the designations of PHR from the Human Resources Certification Institute and IPMA-SCP from the Public Sector HR Association.