KNOXVILLE — Retiring Maryville City Manager Gary H. Hensley — the longest serving city manager in Tennessee — is being honored by his friends and colleagues with the creation of an endowment that will fund internships for University of Tennessee students interested in careers in public administration.
Hank Dye, UT vice president for public and governmental relations, announced the establishment of the Gary H. Hensley Municipal Management Internship Endowment on July 6 at the Maryville City Council meeting. The internship will be administered by UT’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS).
“The endowment allows the university to recruit the best public administration students in the country. It’s a long-term investment in Tennessee’s future leaders of local government,” said Mary Taylor, assistant vice president of UT’s Institute for Public Service.
About $110,000 has been raised for the endowment. The goal is to raise $200,000. Earnings from the endowment will pay an intern’s salary and tuition each year. The student chosen for the internship will work for the city of Maryville for three to four months each summer.
“This is a fitting way to honor Mr. Hensley because he’s someone who understands the importance of public service and the importance of encouraging a new generation of leaders,” said Greg McClain, who has been assistant city manager in Maryville and will take over as city manager when Hensley retires on July 7.
Having been a city manager for 35 years, Hensley is Tennessee’s longest serving city manager. He was Maryville’s city manager for 28 years and, prior to that, was city manager for the city of Loudon for seven years. He was Loudon’s first city manager.
Hensley’s accomplishments while in Maryville included building a new municipal center for the city and securing economic development projects, such as the expansion of Denso and the location of Ruby Tuesday’s headquarters. Also during his tenure, Foothills Elementary and Maryville Intermediate schools were built, and Maryville High School was expanded.
Hensley, a Kingsport native, was among the first to receive the city management degree from East Tennessee State University.
To contribute to the Gary H. Hensley Municipal Management Internship Endowment, contact UT Institute for Public Service Development Director Tom Looney at (865) 974-6621.
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Contacts:
Amy Blakely, (865) 974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu
Queena Jones, (865) 974-1533, queena.jones@tennessee.edu