Communities

Chancellor’s Associates

The Chancellor’s Associates program brings together local business and community leaders to learn more about the university, provide feedback to university administration on an array of important topics, and serve as key advocates and supporters to enhance the university’s reputation in the greater-Knoxville area and beyond.

The Chancellor’s Associates program began in 1972, and since that time, the university and the community have greatly benefited from the relationships developed through this program.

Chancellor's Associates logo
Members of the Chancellor's Associates pose for a photo in Neyland Stadium

Leadership

John Brock (’93, ’96) is the Chair of the program for the 2023-24 academic year. John is an attorney and Partner at Brock Shipe Klenk PLC.

Randy Fields is the chair-elect of the program and will assume the role of chair on July 1, 2024. Randy is the Director of Business Development at Hickory Construction.

Samyah Jubran (’91, ’95) is the immediate-past chair of the program. Samyah is the Assistant District Attorney General for the Knox County District Attorney General Office.

Membership

Chancellor’s Associates members serve three-year terms. Nominations are accepted each year, and approximately 25 new members are selected to join each new member class by a committee of current members and university administrators.

The Chancellor’s Associates meet one morning per month during the academic year. University representation at each meeting includes the chancellor, vice chancellors, deans, and UT students and administrators.

John Brock (’93, ’96) – Chair
Randy Fields – Chair-Elect
Samyah Jubran (’91, ’95) – Immediate Past Chair

Eric Abelquist (’08, ’14)
UCOR
Technical, Engineering and Nuclear Safety Manager

Robert Baird
FirstBank
Senior Vice President

Jeffrey (Jeff) Cheek
Countryside Tire & Auto Service
Owner

Helen Harb (’84)
Pureline Printing
President/Owner/Founder

Mark Heinz (’94)
Dewhirst Properties
Architect & Developer

Sterling Henton (’92)
Rev It Up LLC
President & CEO

John Hoffman
UT Retiree
Tom Hughes (’91)
The Hughes Properties – Realty Executives
Owner/Realtor

Michael Kohl (’96, ’99)
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Senior Vice President

Robert Loggins
Bush Brothers & Co
Manager of Recruiting & Organizational Development

Steve McGrew
Cornerstone of Recovery
CEO & CFO

Sam Mishu
M&M Development Co
President & CEO

Denetria Moore
Girl Talk, Inc
Founder, Executive Director

Susana Navarro
Navarro Research
President & CEO

Matt Ryerson
United Way of Greater Knoxville
President & CEO

Robert Threlkeld
Threlkeld Homes – Keller Williams Realty
Principal

Chad Tindell (’87)
Lacy, Price & Wagner, P.C.
Attorney

John Winemiller (’00)
Merchant & Gould
Attorney, Shareholder, Office Managing Partner

Mandi Benedict (’16)
Knox County
Constituent Services Director

Ben Bentley
Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation
Executive Director & CEO

Rick Blackburn
Blackburn Development Group
President

Becca Boyd
SmartBank
Executive Vice President/Chief People Officer

David Chism
Thompson Cancer Center
Medical Doctor-Clinical Research

Kelly Drummond
City of Knoxville
Director of Human Resources

Randy Fields
Hickory Construction
Director of Business Development

Buzz Goss (’87)
Marble Alley Development
President

Albert Harb (’74, ’79)
Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC Attorneys
Attorney

Michael Honeycutt (’04)
Realty Trust Group, LLC
Senior Vice President/Principal

Jonaaron Jones (’13, ’15)
Beehive Advanced Manufacturing
President & General Manager

Nada Kuchinic (’86)
Design Innovation Architects
Vice President of Finance & Director of Marketing

Brian Lee (’92)
Blackberry Farm
General Manager

Anne McKinney
McKinney & Tillman, P.C.
Attorney, Founder & Managing Shareholder

Harold Middlebrook
Retired Pastor & Community Leader
Bev Miller (`06)
American Heart Association
Executive Director

Quineka Moten (’11, ’13)
The Change Center
Director of Programs & Outreach

J. Brandon Ross, II
Turner Homes
Community Sales Manager

Jorge Sanabria
Expoquip, Inc
Owner

James Shamiyeh
University of Tennessee Medical Center
Senior Vice President & Chief Quality Officer

David Smoak
Town of Farragut
Town Administrator

Ashley Stowe (’12)
Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (Y-12 National Security Complex)
University Partnerships Program Manager

Graham Taylor (’07, ’15, ’16)
T&T Scientific
President & Chief Technology Officer

Nancy Voith (’78)
CRA, Inc.
Managing Director

Kristy Altman (’99)
MEDIC Regional Blood Center
Director of Communications

Ned Babb (’89)
Butler, Vines & Babb Attorneys at Law
Managing Partner, Attorney

Russ Betcher
Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic
M.D.

Tammi Campbell
Knox County Schools
Ombudsman/Principal of Austin East High School

John Cherry (’84)
Leadership Knoxville
VP/Director, Flagship Program

John (Bill) Coley
Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC
Managing Member

Chris Davis (’94)
Knox County Election Commission
Administrator of Elections

Rick Dover (’77)
Dover Signature Properties
President & Managing Director

John Elder (’03)
Paine Tarter & Bickers, LLP
Partner

Scott Elmore (’87, ’91)
Elmore, Stone & Caffey, PLLC
Attorney

Kim Henry (’88, ’94)
Axiom Wealth Management
Director of Operations

Ben Kowalski
Cirrus Aircraft
Sr. Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing

Jim LaPinska
Northwestern Mutual/Axiom Wealth Management
Managing Director/Founding Partner

Chris McAdoo
Knoxville Entrepreneur Center
Mendy McMurtry (’95)
SanMar, Inc
Strategic Account Manager, Southeast US – Sporting Goods Channel

Meghan Millwood (’11)
ORAU
VP/Human Resources

LaToya Myles
NOAA Air Resources Laboratory
Acting Deputy Director

Jake Ogle
Five Oaks Development/Scrambled Jakes
Developer

Spencer Rakes
Pilot Flying J
Vice President Operations Support

John Sergent
First Horizon Bank
Sr. Vice President, Retail Banking

Ashley Speas
Knox County Schools/West High School
Executive Principal

Linda Sullivan (’93, ’94)
Community Leader and Volunteer

Whitney Terry (’09)
East Tennessee Spine & Sport Physical Therapy
Chief Operating Officer

David Wells (’94)
Emerald Youth Foundation
Vice President – Administration

Kelly Absher (’05)
Hydr865: IV Infusion & Weight Loss
Owner/Operator

Moody Altamimi
ORNL
Director, Office of Research Excellence

Allen Bell (’85)
Retired (Pricewaterhouse Coopers)
Partner & Private Company Services Leader for Southern California

Mona Blanton-Kitts (86, ’86)
The McNabb Center
CEO

Ryan Childress (’09)
Stryker
Southeastern Regional Manager

Jon Clark (’01)
Brighton Developers, LLC
President

Nicki Collett
The Tennessee Theatre/Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation
Director of Development & Partnerships

Adam Cook
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
VP for Institutional Development

Kevin Frazier (’89, ’92)
Frazier’s Carpet One
President

Benjamin Jordan (’01, ’03)
Centrus Energy Corporation
Business Development Manager

Rebekah Justice (’02, ’05)
City of Knoxville – Mayor’s Executive Team
Deputy Economic Development Officer – Urban Design

Amye King (’93)
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
Sr. Law Clerk, Judge Robert Montgomery

Lina Kornmeyer Evans
Bank of America – Local Markets Organization
Sr. Vice President – Knoxville Market Executive

Charles Lomax (’06)
Knoxville Area Urban League
CEO

Misty Long
Siemens Healthineers
Clinical Marketing Medical Liaison

Lauren Longmire (’09)
Knoxville Chamber of Commerce
Director of Regional Enhancement

Beau Massey (’08)
Collier Restaurant Group
President

Matt Metz
Yee Haw Brewing Co.
Director, Brewing Operations

Dan Myers (’93)
Knoxville Leadership Foundation
Vice President – Advancement

Drew Rowan
Zoo Knoxville
Chief Operating Officer

Oliver Smith (’87)
Oliver Smith Realty
President

Chad Speck (’04)
Allegiant Management LLC – A3 Athletics
Founder/President of Football Operations; Of Counsel at Brock, Shipe, Klenk PLC

Darris Upton (’17, ’18)
United Cleanup Oak Ridge, LLC (UCOR)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Programs Manager

Kim Young (’82)
Pugh & Co.
Vice President

Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship

Make a Gift