Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)-Mark Gwyn, the first African American to serve as director for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, died in his home Aug. 22. He was 61.
Gwyn served as TBI director for 15 years before retiring in 2018 less than two years into his third term.
A native of McMinnville, Tenn., he graduated from Middle Tennessee State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in communications, and later enrolled at Tennessee State University, where he earned a master’s degree.
He began his career in law enforcement as a patrolman with the McMinnville Police Department in 1985. Three years later he joined the TBI as a special agent, where he spent nearly a decade investigating some of the state’s most high-profile crimes. After being promoted to executive officer in 1996, Gwyn would later become assistant director of TBI in 2001 and lead the agency’s Forensic Services Division, where he supervised the state’s three crime labs.
In 2004, he was appointed Tennessee TBI director by former Gov. Phil Bredesen and was an active member of the Governor’s Meth Task Force, which helped craft legislation to combat the illegal production and use of methamphetamine. Additionally, the state’s Fusion Center was constructed within TBI Headquarters under his watch housing Homeland Security among other programs such as AMBER Alert and Tennessee’s Sex Offender Registry. In 2006, Gwyn’s opposition helped prevent the enactment of proposed legislation that would have legalized the production of gambling devices in Tennessee.
Gwyn served on the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the board of the University of Tennessee National Forensic Academy, and local boards of directors for the Salvation Army and Second Harvest Food Bank. In 2006, Middle Tennessee State University recognized Gwyn as the Distinguished African American Alumni of the Year, and in 2010 he was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement.
In a press release issued by the Tennessee TBI, Director David Rausch said, “I am deeply saddened to hear of Director Gwyn’s passing. Mark had a profound impact on the Bureau, contributed to its growth and innovation, and solidified our reputation as a law enforcement leader. We will honor his contributions, remember his legacy and celebrate his life in the days and weeks to come.”
