Alexander new chief of staff at ECD

Will Alexander, son of Tennessee's senior U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, has been tapped to become the new chief of staff for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development under Commissioner Bill Hagerty.

Alexander replaces Brad Smith, who will leave the office by the end of this month. Until now, Alexander has been assistant commissioner for strategy.

In an email to ECD personnel, Hagerty states that, "While reviewing the many attributes necessary in the person to replace Brad, I found in Will Alexander an ideal candidate. Will’s understanding of the department and close working relationship with me and Governor Haslam position him well to ensure a seamless transition as we continue to move forward in our department’s mission of bringing more high quality jobs to Tennessee."

Also announced in the internal email were the appointment of Samar Ali and Alice Rolli to two key positions in Hagerty's leadership team. Ali, who is from Waverly, will serve as international director. She joins ECD after serving as a White House Fellow and practicing corporate law at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., and Abu Dhabi. Her role will include overseeing TNTrade as well as ECD’s other international initiatives, including managing the operations of the state's four international offices.

Rolli assumes Alexander's former role of assistant commissioner for strategy. She grew up in Nashville and has worked in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Formerly an owner-manager at WorldStrides, she will be responsible for the research division and oversee the department’s strategic direction.