External Affairs Committee

Kyle Spurgeon was appointed by Governor Bill Lee to represent the 8th Congressional District. He is president/CEO of the Greater Jackson Chamber, Jackson, TN. The organization represents over 1000 business members in Jackson-Madison County and parts of West Tennessee. Before joining the chamber, Spurgeon was vice-president, corporate relations for Jackson Energy Authority. He has also served as marketing director for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. He has helped facilitate project locations representing more than $8 billion in capital investment.

Dr. MaryLou Apple was appointed by Governor Bill Haslam to represent the 6th congressional district, completing the term recently vacated.  She has 37 years of service with the Tennessee Board of Regents system – first with Walters State Community College as an associate professor of nursing, dean, and eventually vice president for Academic Affairs, and later as president of Motlow State Community College (2006-2015).

Danni Varlan was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Regents on September 29, 2010, representing the second congressional district. She was reappointed to serve a second term in 2013 and a third term in 2019.

Nisha Powers was appointed by Governor Bill Lee to serve as the 9th congressional district representative. She is President of Powers Hill Design, LLC – a civil engineering firm that she established in 2005, located in Downtown Memphis.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and has worked in the engineering community in Memphis since 1997.