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Carter Lawrence serves as the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) and as the Tennessee State Fire Marshal. Before his appointment to Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet, Commissioner Lawrence served in a variety of leadership roles in the TDCI, including as Assistant Commissioner and chief operating officer.

In his role, Commissioner Lawrence has advocated for the removal of overly burdensome regulations, improved customer service through the use of better tools, and spearheaded initiatives focused on creating greater efficiencies and employee engagement.

On behalf of Gov. Lee’s administration, Commissioner Lawrence has served on several initiatives throughout his career, including as a subcommittee chairman on the Tennessee Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advisory Council. On a national level, he has served in various leadership roles on committees as part of the NAIC.

A Middle Tennessee native, Commissioner Lawrence regularly volunteers with his church and local youth sports leagues and is a board member of an adoption-focused organization. He and his family live in the Nashville area.

Commissioner Lawrence is an attorney who studied law at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN), where he also earned a master’s degree in business administration. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL).

Lawrence remains focused on leading the TDCI to protect Tennesseans through balanced oversight of insurance and regulated professions while enhancing consumer advocacy, education, and public safety.