Haslam Announces Reen Baskin as Director of Communications

ennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced Reen Baskin will become the new communications director for his administration, a Cabinet-level position on his senior staff.

“As a trusted and valuable member of this administration since my first year in office, Reen is incredibly talented and hard-working, and I’m excited to have her take on this new role in the administration,” Haslam said. “Her knowledge and experience with the many facets of state government will serve our communications efforts – both internal and external – well.”

As director of communications, Baskin will serve as the Haslam administration’s top communications official, providing advice and strategy to the governor, Cabinet, senior staff and state departments while overseeing internal and external communications and overall messaging for the administration.

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve the state of Tennessee and the Haslam administration in different capacities.” Baskin said. “I am humbled by this new opportunity and look forward to a focus on communicating with the citizens of Tennessee.”

A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s in political science, Baskin has her J.D. from the Nashville School of Law and her master’s in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt University. Baskin currently serves as director of Alternative Workplace Solutions (AWS), which seeks to improve workspace use and boost employee productivity and mobility, and as the deputy director of Customer Focused Government (CFG). Prior to working with CFG, she served for five years as deputy commissioner and chief operating officer at the Department of General Services.

An active community member, Baskin was a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, serving on the Administrative Law Section Executive Council from 2014-2016 and recently served as co-chair of the 95th Anniversary Gala benefiting the Junior League of Nashville.

She and her husband, Jamie, live with their two children in Brentwood and are members of the Brentwood Baptist Church. Her first day will be Aug. 22nd.

Baskin will take over for David Smith, who is leaving the administration to become a communications consultant in the private sector.