Complete Tennessee Hosts Panel With State Policymakers

Monday, January 30, 2017

The Complete Tennessee Leadership Academy (CTLA) on Monday hosted a panel discussion with state policymakers and education stakeholders to discuss the state’s changing higher education landscape and opportunities to better serve current and future postsecondary students.

State Representative Harry Brooks, chair of the House Committee on Education Administration and Planning, and State Representative John Forgety, chair of the House Committee on Education Instruction and Programs, participated in the panel along with Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd.

Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Chief Operations Officer Nancy Eisenbrandt moderated the discussion.

Complete Tennessee Executive Director Kenyatta Lovett said, “Candid discussions with state leaders on the challenges and opportunities facing Tennessee’s higher education system are integral to our work with the Complete Tennessee Leadership Academy. Our policymakers see the connection between secondary education success and postsecondary completion, yet they acknowledge there is certainly more work to be done to serve Tennessee's students in the best way possible. We are grateful to all our panelists for their participation, especially State Reps. Forgety and Brooks, and for taking time out of their busy schedules to explore ways we can work together to strengthen the state’s postsecondary system.”

This is the third working session of the 2016-2017 CTLA, which brings together a diverse group of community stakeholders from around the state for several months of regional programming to help participants develop a richer understanding of the state of postsecondary education in Tennessee. Two sessions were held last year in Memphis and Knoxville, and two more sessions are planned for Chattanooga and Sewanee in the coming months.

To learn more about the 2016-2017 CTLA participants, click here.