COOKEVILLE – Tara Wohlgemuth was recently hired as regional director for external affairs at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Cookeville Environmental Field Office.
In her position, Wohlgemuth primarily interacts with TDEC’s key external stakeholders, which includes local elected officials, business and industry, civil society and citizens. She facilitates outreach activities, public hearings, media interaction and complaints, and works closely with state parks to promote park visitation and volunteer recruitment.
Wohlgemuth earned a B.S. in environmental studies and public policy from Dartmouth College and spent a semester in South Africa specializing in natural resource management. After college, she became a certified Tennessee Naturalist while teaching at Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis. For the past three years, she worked for the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation and was a key leader in developing the nationally recognized Mid-South Regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan, which addresses the need for initiating long-term comprehensive land use planning in the Greater Memphis area. Wohlgemuth relocated to Cookeville from Memphis in April.
She replaces Jeni Lind Brinkman.
The Cookeville office, located at 1221 S. Willow Ave., serves all 14 counties in the Upper Cumberland as well as 11 state parks.
