New county finance director to be Henegar, Pearson, Walters or Webb | Lafollette

It’s not March, but Campbell County has its final four.

Campbell County Mayor Jack Lynch and the Campbell County FMS Committee have whittled down the applications for the next county finance director from 23 to four.

“The FMS committee has diligently worked to proceed in hiring a new finance director,” said Lynch, who also serves as FMS chair. “We take this seriously and have narrowed 23 applications down to the ones that will be interviewed.”

The final four are Campbell County Finance Department Deputy Director/General Ledger Supervisor Karen Henegar, Claiborne County Finance Director Eric C. Pearson, Pugh CPAs Staff Auditor Brandon R. Walters and Tennessee Valley Authority Regulatory Oversight and Reporting Analyst Peyton Webb.

“We have spoken to each, and they have agreed to be interviewed,” Lynch said. “This may be the most important hire in 30 years. This should be a hire based only on a combination of education, experience, ability and what is best for Campbell County.”

A fifth candidate, Christopher Phillips, declined to be interviewed, as did a sixth candidate, Lynch said.

Interviews are slated to begin July 22.

Campbell County finance director Jeff Marlow, budget analyst Richard Terry and purchasing agent Lisa Bowlin are all retiring in September.

Karen Henegar has worked at the Campbell County Finance Department for nearly 30 years, according to her resume. Over that time, she has served as payroll data processor from January 1996 to July 1998, payroll/benefits supervisor from July 1998 to March 2005, general ledger supervisor from March 2005 to March 2008, deputy director/general ledger supervisor/payroll/benefits supervisor from March 2008 to September 2018 and deputy director/general ledger supervisor from September 2018 to the present.

Henegar is a 1981 Campbell County High School graduate, per her resume, and she attended Jacksboro Vocational School for bookkeeping from October 1981 to January 1983.

Eric C. Pearson has a LaFollette background, though it’s not the same LaFollette as the city in Tennessee, which was named after Grant and Harvey LaFollette.

Rather, Pearson attended the Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin and earned his master’s degree in policy analysis and public affairs in May 1994, according to his resume.

Pearson graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin — Stevens Point in May 1992, according to his resume.

In a cover letter, dated June 19, Pearson wrote in part, “I was excited to see the posting for the position of finance director for Campbell County government. When I saw an available position that is an excellent match for my skills and strengths, I knew I had to apply. I have a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.”

Pearson has served as finance director for Claiborne County since November 2022, according to his resume, and he completed in 2025 through CTAS the certified county finance officer program.

“I currently am the finance director for Claiborne County, Tennessee, with responsibility for managing centralized purchasing, payroll, budgeting and accounting for all county operations and providing support for grants management,” Pearson wrote. “Through this position, I have extensive experience with county finance, including under the County Financial Management System of 1981.”

Before Claiborne County, Pearson worked as legislative program analyst for the State of Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau from May 1994 to February 1997, according to his resume.

“I recently completed the certified county finance officer program through CTAS,” Pearson wrote. “My education and experience have prepared me to excel in a finance director position. I can be counted on as a reliable, trustworthy and productive team member. My jobs have required attention to detail, monitoring budgets and expenditures, analysis of complex data, supervising and training staff, strong communication skills, good computer skills and performing well under stress and deadlines.”

Pearson also served in a number of roles for the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, per his resume, including as budget and management analyst from February 1997 to December 2000, budget and policy manager from January 2001 to December 2018 and budget and fiscal policy operations manager from January 2019 to October 2022.

“I previously worked in the budget office of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin for more than 25 years and held the position of budget and fiscal policy operations manager, the highest-level non-political position on a team that managed a $1.6 billion annual budget,” Pearson wrote. “This includes work on grants management, including the CARES and ARPA grants.”

Brandon R. Walters has worked as a staff auditor at Pugh CPAs, out of Knoxville, since April 2023, according to his resume.

“With over a decade of leadership experience in public finance, auditing and grants management, as well as a strong foundation in governmental accounting principles and regulatory compliance, I am confident in my ability to serve Campbell County with integrity, accountability and excellence,” Walters wrote in part in his cover letter, dated June 23. “Currently, I serve as a staff auditor at Pugh CPAs, where I conduct single audits of federal programs, perform internal control testing and evaluate financial systems for Knox County government.”

Before that, Walters served in a number of roles at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, including SEELC design manager from August 2014 to July 2016, SEELC director from August 2016 to September 2017 and Title III and PACE director from October 2017 through April 2022, according to his resume.

“I directed multi-million dollar federal grant programs at Pellissippi State Community College, including a $13 million Department of Labor consortium and a $1.9 million U.S. Department of Education Title III grant,” Walters wrote. “In each of these roles, I managed budgets, developed internal policies and ensured compliance with state and federal requirements.”

Walters was general manager at Anchor Marine in Speedwell from January 2003 through December 2011, per his resume.

“My background includes working with complex fund accounting systems, implementing purchasing and payroll systems and leading teams across multiple counties and agencies,” Walters wrote. “I have also completed a grants management certificate through Management Concepts in Washington, D.C.”

A graduate of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Walters earned his bachelor’s degrees in political science and accounting and his master’s degrees in accountancy and business administration, according to his resume.

“Campbell County deserves a finance director who combines technical expertise with a collaborative leadership style, strong ethical standards and the ability to drive process improvement across departments,” Walters wrote. “I am deeply familiar with the values and needs of our region and would be honored to contribute to the financial health and operational efficiency of Campbell County government.”

Peyton Webb has served as regulatory oversight and reporting analyst with Tennessee Valley Authority, out of Knoxville, since March 2024, according to his resume. Before that, he was regulatory analyst for TVA from September 2021 to March 2024.

Webb was an accounting clerk for the Anderson County finance department from March 2019 to September 2021, per his resume. He was an accounting intern from February 2019 to March 2019 at Gary Disney CPA Firm in Clinton, and he served as an accounting assistant from October 2017 to November 2018 for All States Services, out of Jacksboro.

Webb earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Memphis with a major in accounting, according to his resume.