Bredesen hires McMillan as senior adviser

Bredesen’s office also announced that Revenue Commissioner Loren Chumley and Health Commissioner Dr. Kenneth Robinson would be leaving at the beginning of 2007.

McMillan, a Democrat from Clarksville, was the first woman to win Tennessee?s House leadership post in 2002 but decided not to run for re-election this year.

She said in March it was time for her to end her legislative career on a high note and also cited the challenge of balancing the time required by the leadership position with her full-time legal work.

“Kim has proven herself to be an effective leader and advocate for Tennesseans during her time in public office and I’ve enjoyed working with her in the Tennessee General Assembly,” Bredesen said in a statement. “I know she will continue to work hard on behalf of all Tennesseans in the Office of the Governor.”

The parameters of the full-time $107,436-a-year job are still being worked out, said Lydia Lenker, the governor’s spokeswoman, said.

McMillan, 45, is an attorney with Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry in Nashville, where she first went to work in 1987 after graduating from the University of Tennessee law school.

Her new position is slated to begin Jan. 20, and she plans to leave the firm a second time. The first was when she and her husband formed their own law firm in Clarksville.

“The primary responsibility is to help this governor move his agenda forward, help this governor help the people of Tennessee,” McMillan told The Associated Press. “It’s the kind of position that’s subject to change.”

Both Chumley and Robinson are leaving after serving most of Bredesen’s first term. The governor’s office did not give their reasons for leaving.