The heads of the state Department of Commerce and Insurance and the state Department of Human Services have stepped down from Gov. Lee’s administration.
Lee’s office confirmed Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Hodgen Mainda’s decision on Tuesday afternoon.
“Today commissioner Mainda offered his resignation and intent to return to Chattanooga and the private sector,” said Gillum Ferguson, Lee’s spokesman. “The Governor accepted his resignation.”
According Mainda’s resignation letter, which was obtained by WPLN News, his last day will be Nov. 13.
Ferguson didn’t provide additional information regarding the circumstances of Mainda’s departure. It came minutes after the departure of Human Services Commissioner Danielle Barnes was publicly announced. The governor’s office says there is no connection between the two departures.
Mainda, a native of Kenya, has been leading the department since October 2019. Prior to that, he served as the vice president for community development at the Electric Power Board in Chattanooga.
In his resignation letter, Mainda says he has “an opportunity to transition to the private sector and at the same time, spend more time with my young family.”
His departure comes at a busy time for the agency, since it oversees the state’s health insurance marketplace. The open enrollment period starts on Sunday.
Mainda was also in charge of Lee’s Law Enforcement Reform Partnership, which was tasked with making recommendations regarding policing.
Earlier Tuesday, Barnes also announced she will leave the state government and return to the private sector. Her last day will be in mid-November.
Barnes and Mainda are two of a handful of commissioners of color in a cabinet made up of 23 people.
“It’s been a true honor and a blessing to serve in a position that allows me to help people each and every day,” Barnes said in a statement. “I could not be more proud of the work our employees have done over these last three years revolutionizing the customer experience for those who seek out our services and helping build a thriving Tennessee.”
Barnes who has led the Department of Human Services since 2017, and her tenure has not been free of controversy. Last year, The Tennessean reported the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program had accumulated over $732 million in reserves. Democrats criticized the department for stockpiling money that could have gone to poor, working families.
The department responded by releasing a plan to spend more than $200 million of that reserve on programming, upsetting Republicans.
Her departure would leave a significant hole in Lee’s administration, since the department is heavily involved in the COVID-19 response through its food and cash assistance low-income Tennesseans.
In a statement, Lee called Barnes a “trusted public servant.”
“She will be missed, and I wish her the best in her return to the private sector.”
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