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Casta Brice, Human Resources Director for the city of Tullahoma, was recognized by her peers in the category of “Distinguished Human Resources Management Career.”

“It was such an honor – and a very humbling experience – to receive this award, especially because I was selected by peers from across the state,” Brice said.

She was awarded the “Richard L. Stokes Personnel Achievement Award” at the annual Tennessee Personnel Management Association (TPMA) conference which is a state chapter of an international association for public sector human resource professionals. Jennifer Moody, Belle Meade City Manager and former Tullahoma City Administrator, submitted the nomination.

“It is because we all value and respect her valuable insights that she is so regularly called upon for advice and assistance by her peers,” Moody said. “She provides a calm and positive attitude towards finding solutions.”

Moody also noted that throughout Brice’s 25-year career, she managed her professional duties expertly and contributed to improvements in the field while prioritizing meeting the needs of Tullahoma’s city employees.

“In my role I’ve had the chance to serve employees who work hard for this community,” Brice said. “City departments do so much behind the scenes that it’s personally rewarding to be a part of providing good compensation and benefits, employee recognition programs and wellness programs. It’s the people I’ve worked with over the years and what we’ve accomplished together that have made my career so meaningful.”

Brice has been on paid administrative leave since February of this year, after members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen independently searched a locked closet in the HR department, investigating personnel files set aside for disposal.

When voting to place Brice on leave, Alderman Jenna Amacher, who was the individual who initiated the search in the file closet, remarked that Brice was “getting a paid vacation.”

The board placed Brice on leave dependent upon an investigation into whether the city’s document retention policy was being observed; however, the board later became aware that the policy had never properly been voted into practice.

The policy was adopted on March 27, one month after Brice was placed on leave, and the investigation into the potential violation was postponed indefinitely, pending the conclusion of an independent investigation by District Attorney Craig Northcott.