John Hull Receives NASCA's National Distinguished Deputy Award

    LEXINGTON, KY, December 16, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- John Hull, deputy director of the Tennessee Department of General Services and head of its State of Tennessee Real Estate Asset Management (STREAM) division, has received the Distinguished Deputy Award from the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA).

NASCA, an association devoted to state chief administrative officers and their senior leadership, presents the annual award to honor an administrator for a career of accomplishments in state government.

Hull received the honor Tuesday during a virtual ceremony held as part of NASCA's 2020 Thought Leadership Series.

"For the past five years, John has played an outstanding leadership role in transforming the State of Tennessee's real estate management, which now relies heavily on strategic planning and data-driven decisions," said Christi W. Branscom, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services.

She noted that Hull has helped lead the adoption of the Alternative Workplace Solutions (AWS) program, Tennessee's model for allowing employees to work however is best suited for their job, including working remotely. The program was implemented in 2016.

Many Tennessee agencies have employees who require mobility in the performance of their job. AWS was developed to accommodate those needs with three position categories: free address, work from home, and mobile work. In AWS, new collaborative and team-oriented workspaces are created, allowing employees to share space while in the office, while also reducing space needed overall since employees spend less time in the office. Due to AWS, the state estimates it has saved about $5 million a year in real estate costs and reduced square footage in the portfolio by 375,000 square feet.

Additionally, many high-profile projects have come to fruition under Hull's leadership, including the new Tennessee State Museum, the State Capitol Cupola restoration, the new Tennessee State Library and Archives Building, the John Sevier State Office Building renovation, West Tennessee and Bradley County Veterans Homes, the Gulf War Monument, renovations to many state parks facilities, and the new Tennessee Highway Patrol headquarters in Jackson, among many others.

At the start of the current fiscal year STREAM began master planning for state property in the Nashville/Davidson County area to address the long-term efficient use of the state's real property. The final draft of this master plan was submitted in September, and it will provide a long-term framework for making strategic real estate decisions across the state.

"In addition, STREAM has this year faced significant challenges developing best practices for cleaning state buildings to prevent coronavirus exposure and responding to tenant requests for additional cleanings for infection control," Branscom said. "John is an exemplary leader who sets the tone for STREAM to create and maintain a real estate portfolio that efficiently meets the program requirements of state agencies, while also minimizing the cost of that portfolio," she added.

Hull holds a J.D. degree from the Nashville School of Law and an M.B.A. from Florida Tech.

"John is a transformational business leader. In fact, his innovative practices in Real Estate have spurred many of the NASCA colleagues to replicate Tennessee's efforts," said Pam Goins, NASCA's Executive Director. "This award recognizes the most talented professionals in the operations industry who have demonstrated success in their careers and made significant contributions to the communities they serve."

The National Distinguished Deputy Award was established to recognize a deputy of a state chief administrator for outstanding contributions of the work of state administration.

The National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) is the leading organization advancing professional development and best management solutions for the administrative functions of state government. The association provides state chief administrators with the opportunity to increase their knowledge of state government administration through education, networking and information exchange on state government trends, leading edge innovations, standards and best practices.

NASCA's mission is to help state chief administrators and their teams strategically transform state government operations through the power of shared knowledge and thought leadership.

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