Faculty Profile: Richard Roberts

In January 2011, Governor Bill Haslam appointed Richard H. Roberts as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Revenue. The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of Tennessee’s tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws, as well as the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. Prior to his appointment as Commissioner, Mr. Roberts, a native of Greene County, Tenn., was a corporate and securities lawyer. While in private legal practice, he was a partner with the former Baker, Worthington, Crossley, Stansberry & Woolf firm, practicing at that firm’s offices in Washington, D. C., and Nashville. After leaving the private practice of law, Commissioner Roberts was senior vice president, general counsel and director of Forward Air Corporation, a national air freight and logistics company based in Greeneville, Tenn. He occupied the same positions for Landair Corporation, a truckload transportation provider. He has spent 16 years serving as a director and audit committee chairman for Miller Industries, the world’s largest manufacturer of towing and recovery vehicles, based in in Chattanooga, Tenn. Prior to joining Governor Bill Haslam’s administration, Commissioner Roberts served on the board of the East Tennessee Foundation, which funds community based programs and grants in service to the East Tennessee region. Additionally, he was a founding director of the Niswonger Foundation, a regional foundation dedicated to building community leadership through enhancement of educational systems. He served for six years on Niswonger’s board. Commissioner Roberts earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He received a Juris Doctor degree from UT’s College of Law in 1985. He is married to Imogene King.