Gov. Bill Haslam has made his picks for Tennessee State University’s new governing board, including the heads of several prominent African-American businesses.
Citizens Bank president Deborah Cole and Lewis & Wright Funeral Home owner Richard Allen Lewis are among the selections.
Others include Bishop Joseph Walker III, the prominent pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, National Medical Association president Edith Peterson Mitchell and real estate investor Bill Freeman, the former mayoral candidate and Democratic fundraiser. Freeman has been a major donor to TSU.
TriStar president Stephen Corbeil, Tennessee Higher Education Commission member Pam Martin and BlackRock managing director Obie McKenzie round out Haslam’s nominations to the 10-person board.* The faculty of TSU and a student representative will also be added.
Haslam is setting up these boards to give public universities more autonomy. TSU officials initially expressed some concerns about the arrangement, though they later embraced independence.
The board is expected to begin meeting early next year.
* Correction: This story originally misstated the number of board members.
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