First Black Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn dies at Nashville home

Former Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn, the first Black man to hold the position, has died at his Nashville home.

Although sudden, Gwyn's death appeared to be from natural causes, the TBI said in a news release Thursday morning. He was 61.

"I am deeply saddened to hear of Director Gwyn's passing," TBI Director David Rausch said in the news release. "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."

Mark Gwyn: Decades of service

After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University in 1985 with a degree in communications, Gwyn went back to his hometown of McMinnville to begin his law enforcement career as a police officer.

Just three years later, he joined the Bureau as a special agent in the criminal investigation division, TBI said.

Over the next 16 years, he was promoted through TBI's ranks, rising to an executive officer position then assistant director of the forensic sciences division. In June 2004, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed Gwyn as director of TBI.

During his time with the agency, Gwyn oversaw the creation of the Technical Services Unit and Cyber Crimes Unit, and the state's Fusion Center was brought to the bureau's headquarters, housing programs like the AMBER Alert and statewide Sex Offender Registry.

He took a targeted stance against drugs in Tennessee.

In a 2011 Op-ed written for The Tennessean, Gwyn called methamphetamine production "one of the biggest public safety threats our state is facing," and called for pseudoephedrine, a key ingrediant in meth, to be restricted to customers with prescriptions.

Gwyn served on Bredesen's Meth Task Force crafing legislation against the production and sale of the drug in Tennessee.

Gwyn announced his retirement in February 2018 , two years after he was reappointed to his third six-year term by then Gov. Bill Haslam, despite a national search for a director. The announcement also came a month after a report from the state's comptroller's office, which found that TBI routinely dipped into cash reserves to avoid layoffs or diminished services.

"I believe I have done all that I can do to improve our resources, training and equipment for the Bureau family," Gwyn was quoted as saying in a 2018 article from The Tennessean. "It was my goal to leave the Bureau better than it was when it was given to me."

He served as director for 14 years.

Nashville law enforcement community remembers Gwyn

Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk called Gwyn's death a profound loss for the state.

"As leader of the TBI, he was a tremendous resource and advocate for law enforcement across the state," Funk said in a statement Thursday. "His dedication to the public and their safety in every community was an inspiration to all of us in law enforcement. I will miss him as a leader, but also as a friend."

Margie Quin, commissioner of the Department of Children's Services, worked closely with Gwyn during her decades at TBI, where together they worked as "staunch advocates in the fight against human trafficking," the department said in a news release.

"Mark Gwyn's tireless dedication to combating human trafficking will be remembered with deep gratitudem" Quin said in the release. "We honor his public service legacy by continuing the crucial work he championed with such passion.”

Two of TBI's communications officers attributed their careers at the agency to Gwyn.

"I am so grateful to him for giving me the chance to work for this great agency," Susand Niland said on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

"I owe my career at the Bureau — the best place I've ever worked — to Mark Gwyn," Josh DeVine said on X. "I will always cherish his friendship, his sense of humor, his profound leadership skills, and his penchant for a well-made suit."Funeral arrangements are pending.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details as they become available.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: First Black Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn dies at Nashville home