The Athens City Council named Thomas "Tommy" Williams the interim police chief Monday night.

Chief Williams was the police chief in Kennedale for 15 years before retiring in May 2021. He started his career as a patrol officer in the Richland Hills Police Department in 1978 and served with the Keller Police Department from 1980 through 2006.

Chief Williams bases his management philosophy on the four E's of empathy, edification, enthusiasm, and excellence. He learned this philosophy at the Keller PD, and it expanded and grew at Kennedale.

"My management philosophy has been and continues to be a work in progress," he said. "I believe that by continually working to improve my skills, I become a better manager, supervisor, and co-worker."

"I am driven to create a legacy wherever I go. I want to leave every organization that I work in better than when I found it."

Chief Williams fills the spot vacated by the resignation of John Densmore in April.

To find Chief Williams, City staff worked with SGR, a company specializing in local government executive searches and is the largest provider in Texas of interim services for local government.