Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam Thursday announced the appointments of 13 new members and two re-appointments to Tennessee’s higher education boards.
Bill Lee, Pam Martin and Alex Martin will serve as new members of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Shannon Brown, Bill Evans, Julia Wells, Rhedona Rose, R.J. Duncan and David Golden will serve as new members of the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees. Barbara Prescott, Leigh Shockey, Rebecca Reeves and Dottye Webb will serve as new members of the Tennessee Board of Regents.
“We want to thank the new and current members for serving and the important work they do for higher education in Tennessee,” Governor Haslam said. “There is no doubt that attracting and growing Tennessee jobs is directly tied to education, and these new appointees’ bring a variety of experiences and backgrounds that will help us in this effort.”
Mr. Lee is CEO of Lee Company, a comprehensive facilities solutions and home services company with over 800 employees. He is a member of the Downtown Rotary Club of Nashville, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Board of Directors for the Nashville Business Coalition. He is also the chairman of YMCA of Middle Tennessee and past president of the Associated Builders and Contractors. Lee lives in Franklin and will represent the Seventh Congressional District on THEC.
Ms. Martin is the president of Cushion Employer Services and is the chairwoman of the Minority Business Advisory Council in Nashville. She was previously the vice president of community development for SunTrust Bank. She has also served as vice chair of the Conventions and Visitors Bureau on the Nashville Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, chairwoman of Nashville’s Tourism and Conventions Commission, and as an executive board member of the United Way of Nashville and the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. The Nashville native will represent the Sixth Congressional District on THEC.
Mr. Martin is a sophomore at Tennessee Tech University. He is a senator in the Student Government Association and a representative on the Inter-fraternity Council, and he serves on the Ad Hoc University Admissions Standards Committee. The Portland-native will serve as a student representative on THEC.
Mr. Brown is the senior vice president/chief human resources and diversity officer for FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company. He serves on the boards of the March of Dimes and the Lausanne Collegiate School. Brown is chairman of the board for United Way of the Mid-South, and he is a member of the central board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. Brown lives in Memphis and will represent Shelby County on the UT Board of Trustees.
Mr. Evans is a member of the faculty at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He joined St. Jude as a student in 1972 and most recently served as president and CEO from 2004-2014. He served on the board of Memphis Tomorrow until July 2014, and he currently is a member of the board of Launch Tennessee and the U.S. Board of Pharmacy Specialists. Evans lives in Memphis and will represent Shelby County on the UT Board of Trustees.
Ms. Rose is the executive vice president of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, where she has worked for 28 years. She is a past state president of the Tennessee Future Farmers of America (FFA) Alumni Association and holds the Honorary American FFA degree. She is a board member of the Maury Alliance and the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Rose resides in Columbia and will represent the Fourth Congressional District of the UT Board of Trustees.
Ms. Wells is vice president of marketing services at the Pictsweet Company. She serves as state finance chairwoman and Volunteer Girls State chairwoman of the American Legion Auxiliary. She is a National Frozen Food Hall of Fame inductee and serves on the board of directors for the American Frozen Food Institute Foundation and Christ Community Church. She has previously been a member of the University of Tennessee, Martin Development Council. Wells resides in Jackson and will represent the Eighth Congressional District on the UT Board of Trustees.
Mr. Duncan is a junior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he is a member of the Student Government Association. He has been involved with community service through the Boys and Girls Club and through Boy Scouts of America, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. The Nolensville native will represent students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville on the UT Board of Trustees.
Mr. Golden is a professor of food microbiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the current chairman of the Faculty Senate. In 2013 he received the Alumni Outstanding Teacher Award from the University of Tennessee Alumni Association. He has served on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. Golden lives in Knoxville and will represent UT faculty on the UT Board of Trustees.
Ms. Prescott is the executive director of PeopleFirst Partnership, the education and talent arm of Memphis Fast Forward. Prior to taking the position with PeopleFirst, she served as vice president of Allie Prescott & Partners, LLC. She is a licensed professional counselor and operated a private counseling practice for more than 30 years. She is a former member of the Memphis City School Board where she served twice as president and vice president. She also sat on the board of directors of the Tennessee School Boards Association. She presently serves on the boards for New Leaders New Schools, the Salvation Army, and the Salvation Army’s Joan and Ray Kroc Community Center. Prescott resides in Memphis and will represent the Eighth Congressional District on the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Ms. Shockey is CEO and chairman of Drexel Chemical Company, serving in that role since 1998 after starting with the company in 1980. She is also the co-founder of Veritable Music. She serves as chairwoman of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee District Export Council, and she is the regional legislative coordinator for the Southeast region of the National District Export Council. She is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Leadership Memphis, and the Moss Society of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Shockey resides in Rossville and will represent West Tennessee on the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Ms. Reeves is a junior at the University of Memphis, Lambuth. She received her associate’s degree in psychology at Dyersburg State Community College, and while attending Dyersburg State she served as the Student Government Association president, secretary for the Tennessee Board of Regents Student President’s Council and vice president of fellowship for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Reeves resides in Friendship and will represent students on the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Ms. Webb has worked at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Newbern since 1998, and she currently is the test center manager and technology foundations master. She also serves as the Local Skills Chapter advisor and student government advisor, and was named the 2013 Tennessee Postsecondary SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year. Webb resides in Milan and will represent faculty on the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Governor Haslam also reappointed John Foy and D. Crawford Gallimore to the UT Board of Trustees.