Healthy Development Coordinators
Who They Are
The Office of Primary Prevention works alongside the Division of Community Health Services to provide training and support for seven regionally-based staff who serve as liaisons between the health and planning worlds. These Healthy Development Coordinators (HDCs) add capacity and support for health-promoting policies, systems, and environments across the state. Each HDC works with stakeholders across their respective region towards the creation of healthier and more livable communities. Generally, the HDCs conduct built environment assessments and develop built enviornment asset inventories, provide assistance with grant writing, manage Health Department-funded built environment grants, provide community presentations on the intersection of health and the built environment, provide input on regional land use and transportation plans, and help conduct evaluation of built environment grant projects. If you are looking for project assistance or have questions on health-promoting built environments, please reach out to the HDC for your region. Please click on the report to the right to learn more about the HDC positions and see examples of their work.
Contact Your HDC

Tim King, MS
West Region HDC
tim.king@tn.gov, 731-886-1545
Counties Served: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, McNairy, Obion, Tipton, Weakley

Shay Smith, MPH
South Central HDC
shay.l.smith@tn.gov, 931-490-8373
Counties Served: Bedford, Coffee, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Wayne

Sara Cox, MS
Mid Cumberland Region HDC
sara.m.cox@tn.gov, 615-253-4736
Counties Served: Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, Wilson

John Copeland
Upper Cumberland Region HDC
john.copeland@tn.gov, 615-253-7275
Counties Served: Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, Dekalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, White

Kelly Ware, MPH, CHES
Southeast Region HDC
kelly.ware@tn.gov, 423-634-5841
Counties Served: Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie

Coming soon!
East Region HDC
We are awaiting this position to be filled. In the meantime, please contact Shannon Velasquez (shannon.velasquez@tn.gov, 615-253-7927) with any HDC-related questions in this region.
Counties Served: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Union

Ada Sloop, MPH
Northeast Region HDC
ada.sloop@tn.gov, 423-979-4648
Counties Served: Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, Washington