In this episode, Tom sits down with Cindy Cameron Ogle — a name synonymous with Gatlinburg leadership for nearly five decades. Cindy served as Gatlinburg's City Manager from 1989 until her retirement in 2023, capping a 45-year career with the city, 35 of them at its helm.
Cindy's connection to the mountains started as a little girl growing up in South Knoxville, making regular trips into the Smokies with her family. A twist of fate — a college relationship and a summer gig promoting a singing group at the River Terrace Hotel — first brought her to town, and a graduate degree in public administration eventually led her back as Gatlinburg's assistant city manager in 1978.
The conversation traces Cindy's rise through decades of change: the small-town Gatlinburg of the late '70s (population barely different from today's, but a very different community fabric), the influence of powerful civic groups like the Gatlinburg Garden Club and the Retired Citizens Association, and the unique challenges of leading a town of under 4,000 residents that plays host to tens of thousands of visitors. She reflects candidly on being passed over for the top job — twice — before finally being sworn in as City Manager in 1989.
Cindy also shares her journey into the Ogle family through her late husband Bud, and the family's deep roots in Gatlinburg's tourism history. The episode covers major legacy projects — undergrounding the town's utilities, building the compact-but-mighty Gatlinburg Convention Center, and bringing the Ripley's Aquarium project to life — as well as the devastating 2016 wildfires, which she calls the greatest professional challenge of her career (second only, personally, to the loss of her husband). Through it all, Cindy's reflections point to a common thread: a deep, abiding love for the community she gave her career to serve.
Discover more about our guest.
Cindy Cameron Ogle served as Gatlinburg's City Manager from 1989 to 2023, capping a 45-year career with the city. A Knoxville native with a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Tennessee, she became the city's assistant city manager in 1978 and was sworn in as City Manager in 1989 — one of the longest tenures of civic leadership in the region. She married into the Ogle family, one of Gatlinburg's founding tourism families, and led the community through some of its most transformative decades, including its recovery from the 2016 wildfires.
- Small town, big civic energy. In the late '70s and '80s, Gatlinburg's population was almost identical to today's (around 3,500–4,000), but community groups like the Gatlinburg Garden Club (200+ members) and the Retired Citizens Association wielded serious civic influence — even prompting the city to purchase and operate its own medical clinic.
- Marrying into Gatlinburg tourism royalty. Cindy married into the Ogle family, whose patriarch Coot Ogle helped pioneer local tourism through ventures like Ogle's Buffet and the property that eventually became Margaritaville.
- Legacy projects that shaped downtown. Cindy cites the undergrounding of Gatlinburg's utilities as one of her proudest achievements — transforming downtown into the walkable, "village-like" district visitors know today — alongside the Gatlinburg Convention Center and the Ripley's Aquarium public-private partnership.
- Leading through the 2016 wildfires. Cindy reflects on the fires as the most difficult professional chapter of her career, crediting the "Mountain Tough" spirit, faith, and outside support (including Dolly Parton and federal partners) with helping the community rebuild stronger.
- A hope for Gatlinburg's future. Asked what she'd want to tell her late husband Bud about the town's future, Cindy hopes Gatlinburg continues striving toward beauty, aesthetic improvement, and economic success — without losing the unique character that sets it apart.
Discover more our host.
As the CEO of Mountain Laurel Chalets and a lifelong student of hospitality, Tom took the helm of MLC in 2012 — a company his in-laws Ralph and Dot Egli built from scratch in 1972 — and has spent every year since trying to learn from the owners, guests, and community that make this place worth caring about.
