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Black History Month Feature

Richard Adkisson

First TDOT Engineer, City Alderman, Preacher

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Richard Adkisson, the son of Louella Adkisson and Roger Bigham, was born and raised in Trezevant, Tennessee. Graduating as valedictorian from Trezevant High School in 1975, Adkisson knew he wanted to pursue a career involving mathematics. After consulting with his advisor, he set his eyes on civil engineering and never looked back.
Fall of 1975, Richard began his freshman year at Tennessee State University in Nashville. While there, he co-oped with the Federal Highway Administration off-and-on for three years. In this position, he worked out of an office in Cherokee, Alabama, conducted survey work, inspected bridges, and laid out roadway. Ultimately, he worked on the Natchez Trace Parkway.
In December of 1984, Richard Adkisson graduated from Tennessee State University, and in May of 1985, he began his first job with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). TDOT is made up of two divisions–maintenance and engineering. Richard Adkisson was the first black person to ever be hired into TDOT’s engineering division. He started out by surveying work, laying out jobs, inspecting roads, and laying out asphalt.
Ten years later, Mr. Adkisson made TDOT history once again when he was the first black person promoted as supervisor of an engineering office, supervising McKenzie’s office.
He was promoted in 1999, moving to work at the Jackson Regional Office as the Assistant Regional Director of Engineering. Under this position, all office supervisors within the region reported to him.

In 2011 or 2012, the Regional Engineer passed away, and Richard Adkisson was placed into his position as an intern. In 2013, he became the Regional Engineer over all twenty-one counties in Region Four, encompassing the majority of West Tennessee.
Richard Adkisson has made history with every promotion he has received. He was the first black person to be promoted to all of his positions regionally, but he has also been told that he was the first black person in the state to ever be promoted to these positions.
Eventually, there was a realignment. Instead of one region containing twenty-one counties, the region split into three districts. Richard Adkisson became the District Manager of District 47 in McKenzie, where he oversaw eight of the original twenty-one counties. He still works in this position today.
Aside from working with TDOT, Richard Adkisson has been preaching since 1997. He began as an assistant and youth pastor at Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Trezevant. For the past ten years, Mr. Adkisson has been pastoring at the Progressive Baptist Church in Paris.
Beginning as a councilman in Trezevant with goals to present more programs for the city’s youth, Richard Adkisson has been involved with city council for several years. He has since moved to Milan with his wife and, with the same goals in mind, now serves as an Alderman for Milan City Council. In the past, he served four years as vice mayor and six years as treasurer for Milan City Council.