Article
Tennessee ABC Director Russell Thomas Tapped for New Role
Published: Nov 12, 2026
Director Russell Thomas is headed to the Governor's office. Governor-elect Marsha Blackburn announced that Mr. Thomas will serve as Chief Legal Counsel to the Governor.
Congratulations on the new gig.
We understand that Tabatha Blackwell is Interim Director of the ABC. Director Blackwell previously served as Assistant Director of the ABC.
The Executive Director is hired by the ABC Commissioners. The term of the current Commissioners ends with the start of the new term of Governor-elect Blackburn, pursuant to TCA 57-1-103(a). Governor-elect Marsha Blackburn will be sworn in on Saturday, January 16, 2027.
Governor-elect Blackburn will appoint ABC Commissioners, which can be new individuals, the same individuals or a mix of old and new. Historically, Commissioners have served until the Governor appoints new Commissioners.
With a likely change in the makeup of the Commission coming in the next few months, we suspect that the Executive Director position will remain vacant until the new Commission is seated.
Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” seem appropriate:
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop, it'll soon be here
It'll be better than before
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone
The requirements for the position of Executive Director are set by statute in TCA 57-1-105(b). The Director must be at least 30 years old, a resident of the state for at least five years, and licensed to practice law in Tennessee. Although political connections are not statutorily mandated, it appears to help.
Here is the press release about Director Thomas.
