Tennessee Strategies

Mike Arms is a senior partner with Tennessee Strategies providing consulting services to a diverse client base statewide.

Prior to founding Tennessee Strategies, Arms served as Chief of Staff for the Knox County Mayor's Office from 2002-2010. In addition, he was the Vice President of Business Development for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), working twelve years in the Oak Ridge office. Before joining SAIC, Arms worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for fourteen years as Senior Industrial Engineer and Assistant to the General Manager.

He serves as a board member for the Lenoir City Utility Board and is on the Anderson County County Legislative Affairs Committee.  Previously Arms served as the District Administrator for the Pellissippi District Boy Scouts of America and on the Board of Directors for the Arts Council of Greater Knoxville, Junior Achievement of East Tennessee, President's Associates at Pellissippi State Community College, American Museum of Science and Energy, the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit, Technology 2020, the Tennessee Association of Manufacturers, and the East Tennessee Economic Council. He served four years on the National Association of County Officials Steering Committee for Economic and Community Development. He also served two years on a statewide jobs growth council for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

Arms serves as the executive director of the Association of Tennessee Valley Governments (ATVG). This non-profit organization represents 500 local governments from more than 200 counties in seven states in the Tennessee River Valley region. In this role, he meets with local government officials from seven states on a regular basis.

Arms has received the Tennessee Technology Conference Service Award, the Technology 2020 Vision Award, the Tennessee Valley Corridor Champion Award, and the African American Appalachian Arts Distinguished Founder Award. He was the founding chairman of the Regional Clean Air Coalition and is a lifetime member of the Optimist Club of America.

In other public service, Arms was elected to two terms on the Knox County Commission and served as Chairman of the Knox County Sheriff's Merit Board for four years. He also served on the Knox County Charter Review Committee.

Arms earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee. He is a Certified Public Administrator, completing 160 hours of training with University of Tennessee’s Institute of Public Service. He completed Harvard University's Mediation Program of Study in 2003 and is a Leadership Knoxville graduate.