Ridgeway is New President of TCAT-Henry/Carroll

John Penn Ridgeway is the new Tennessee College of Applied Technology president Henry/Carroll. A committee of the governing body, the Tennessee Board of Regents, selected him. Ridgeway began his service on July 1, following the retirement of TCAT President Willie Huffman.

Ridgeway said he is excited to return to TCAT and work with the great staff and students.

John Penn Ridgeway served as vice president at the McKenzie campus of TCAT under the presidency of now-retired Dr. Brad White. He worked with TCAT for 13.5 years, from 2007 through November 30, 2020.

On December 1, 2020, he began his tenure as mayor of Henry County, an elected position. He resigned that position on June 30 after three years and seven months.

He holds a Master of Arts in Education from Bethel University and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Previously, he worked with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and in Washington with Congressman John Tanner. He was a former member of the McKenzie Rotary Club, where he served as secretary and was once named the Rotarian of the Year. He is a graduate of WestStar Leadership Program.

He and his wife, Melissa reside in Paris and have two adult children, Walker, 24, a student at the University of Memphis and works at UPS and Jackson, 19, an online student at Dyersburg State Community College. Jackson is a freelance videographer who videos professional sporting events and athletes.

Ridgeway rejoins TCAT at a time of great growth with a renewed emphasis in Tennessee on vocational training. Construction of a new academic and administrative complex at McKenzie will begin in October. The new facility is expected to be completed in 18-24 months.

A completely new campus is planned for Paris and should open in 2026-27.

As mayor, Ridgeway was successful in several areas. Many of the County’s buildings are in need of repair or replacement. West Tennessee’s oldest courthouse in Henry County was constructed in 1896 and is undergoing some upgrades. Grove Tower, home of the Henry County School System’s administrative offices, is in need of repair. With the help of grants, the historic building will be rehabilitated. The Courthouse Annex also needs much repair. Some of the need for office space will soon be alleviated with the acquisition of three buildings.

The County will soon take possession of the Vocational Rehabilitation Center on U.S. Highway 79 South. Eventually, the current TCAT building, adjacent to Henry County High School, will be under the control of the County of Henry. The County will soon have a new Health Department and the current building will be available for county offices.

In the coming years, the County will gain 100,000 square feet of office and storage space for use by the county general and schools. That includes space in the current Health Department, Vocational Rehabilitation and TCAT building.

Mayor Ridgeway worked with the U.S. government through Congressman David Kustoff, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation to assure Highway 641 will be widened from a two-lane to a five-lane highway to the Kentucky State Line over the next 10 years.

Additionally, with federal COVID relief funds, the County worked with two area providers, TEC and West Kentucky Telephone, to add 170 miles of fiber optic internet service in the underserved areas of the County. Some 1,000 homes have access to the new service.

The challenge for the county has been the county-owned hospital, which has a continuing deficit budget. After years of losing money, the County has negotiated a deal for West Tennessee Healthcare to lease the facility starting later this year.