Tennessee gov promotes adviser to chief operating officer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has promoted a senior adviser to become the state’s next chief operating officer.

The Republican’s office says Brandon Gibson is replacing Butch Eley, who left the chief operating officer job to become the state commissioner of finance and administration.

Prior to joining the Lee administration, Gibson served on the Tennessee Court of Appeals for more than four years. Before that, she practiced law in West Tennessee.

Eley took over as finance commissioner when Stuart McWhorter left the post to lead Lee’s COVID-19 Unified Command. McWhorter is leaving that job at the end of May for a senior adviser at Clemson University.