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Gerald F. Nicely was appointed Commissioner of Transportation for
Tennessee by Governor Phil Bredesen shortly after his election in November
2002. He assumed the position in January 2003. Commissioner Nicely had the
distinction of serving simultaneously in two state cabinet posts following
his December 2005 appointment by the Governor to oversee the restructuring
of the Tennessee Department of Safety. In addition to his duties at TDOT,
Nicely served as Interim Commissioner of Safety from December 2005 until
January 2007. In that role, he worked to initiate changes necessary to
restore public confidence and credibility in the law enforcement and
licensing agency.
Nicely joined state government and TDOT after more than 30 years of local
government experience and a track record of successfully forging
public-private partnerships that helped transform Nashville. He served as
Executive Director of Nashville’s Metropolitan Development and Housing
Agency from 1979-2002. Under his leadership, MDHA spearheaded a wide range
of development and housing initiatives and was viewed as one of the best-run
local agencies in the country. From 1995-97, he served a two-year term as
President of the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association.
Nicely serves on the boards of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and
the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials. He is an
alumnus of Leadership Nashville. He has received numerous awards for public
service including: Tennessee Association of Public Administration’s Public
Administrator of the Year in 2006, the Nashville Kiwanis Club’s co-Nashvillian
of the year in 2001 (his wife Donna was the co-recipient), the Nashville
Chapter of the American Public Relations Society’s Apollo award in 2006 and
the Nashville Engineering Center’s Distinguished Builder Award.
Nicely grew up in Oak Ridge and is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School.
He holds both bachelors and masters degrees in economics from the University
of Tennessee. He is a U.S. Army veteran. He is married to Donna Nicely,
Director of the Nashville Public Library system, and has two grown daughters
and three grandsons. |
