Healthy Development Coordinators

Who We Are

hdc overview

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) has seven regional positions to promote the development of healthy built environments across the state. These Healthy Development Coordinators (HDCs) serve as external-facing positions that engage in cross-sector collaboration to address the social and environmental determinants of health. Each HDC lives and works in one of the state’s seven health regions, developing relationships and collaborating with a wide range of local stakeholders to prioritize health in decisions related to land use planning, transportation, housing, greenspace, food access, and economic development. The coordinators work primarily in the state’s suburban and rural areas, including small cities and towns. The HDCs have a variety of backgrounds and expertise, including public health, urban and regional planning, and outdoor recreation. The Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Primary Prevention works alongside the Division of Community Health Services to provide ongoing training and support for the HDC positions. These unique and ground-breaking positions attracted over 400 applicants from 30 states when first created, and over the past four years have established healthy built environments as a core function of the Tennessee Department of Health’s work.​

Active Living Workshops

We are pleased to announce that after collaboration and training from Health by Design, our HDCs are able to provide Active Living Workshops to interested communities in their respective regions.  Many grants require community engagement and collaboration as a prerequisite to an award, and these sessions could fulfill that requirement. An Active Living Workshop is a half day of learning and action planning amongst elected officials and key community partners that have a stake in built environment planning. 

During the workshop, participants will evaluate the health impacts of the way their community is designed and discuss ways to improve it.  The agenda includes:

  • An Active Living Crash Course
  • Strategies
  • Walk Audit
  • Lunch
  • Mapping Strengths and Opportunities for Improvement
  • Action Planning

If you are interested in hosting an Active Living Workshop in your community, please identify the appropriate HDC below in the "Contact Us" section and send them an email.   

Contact Us

picture of  Tim King


West Region HDC

Cory Hussey, MPH

cory.hussey@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

picture of Shay Smith


South Central HDC

Shay Smith, MPH

shay.l.smith@tn.gov, 931-490-8373

Counties Served: Bedford, Coffee, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Wayne

picture of Sara Cox


Mid Cumberland Region HDC

Vincent Black, MS

vincent.black@tn.gov, 615-650-7000

Counties Served: Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, Wilson

picture of John Copeland


Upper Cumberland Region HDC

John Copeland

john.copeland@tn.gov, 615-253-7275

Counties Served: Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, Dekalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, White

picture of Kelly Ware


Southeast Region HDC

Kelly Ware, MPH, CHES

kelly.ware@tn.gov, 423-634-5841

Counties Served: Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie

Coming soon!


East Region HDC

Cameron Taylor

 cameron.taylor@tn.gov, 865-549-5317

Counties Served: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Union

Coming soon!

Northeast Region HDC

Delaney M. Cornett, MPH

delaney.cornett@tn.gov, 423-491-6074

Counties Served: Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, Washington