Gov. Bill Haslam has named 10 new members to the UT Board of Trustees (subject to legislative confirmation) following passage of the bill he called Focus. The new board will take over effective July 1, 2018. Members are:
- John Compton, former president of PepsiCo (briefly CEO of Pilot Flying J) and current partner with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
- Kara Lawson, former UT basketball player and current television analyst for ESPN and the Washington Wizards
- Donnie Smith, former president and CEO of Tyson Foods
- Sharon Pryse, CEO and founder of The Trust Company
- Kim White, president and CEO of River City Company
- Bill Rhodes, chair, president and CEO of AutoZone
- Melvin Malone, former special Tennessee Supreme Court justice and current practice group leader with Butler Snow LLP
- Bill Evans, former director and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Raja Jubran, CEO of Denark Construction, and current vice chair of the UT board
- Brad Lampley, former UT football player and current partner in charge of the Nashville office of Adams and Reese LLP.
In addition, the state commissioner of agriculture and a non-voting student member will serve. Others will be placed on advisory committees for each campus.