For Terrell Broady Jr., being an entrepreneur runs in the family. With a mother who runs a successful hairdressing and beauty business and a father who owns a successful funeral home, Broady knew he would go into business.
“It was kind of a no-brainer for me,” says Broady, who graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business in 2017 and received his MBA from the college just a year later.
With two UT degrees in hand, along with an associate’s degree in applied science and a funeral director certificate from John A. Gupton College, Broady helps run his father’s funeral home business. He also manages his own life insurance company and runs a national nonprofit that got its start on UT’s campus.
Broady began his journey at UT with his high school sweetheart and now wife, Brianna Broady (’17). Inspired by his younger sister with autism, he, along with Brianna, started the student organization Advocates for Autism with the goal of giving autistic students a supportive community on campus.
The organization partnered—and continues to partner—with the FUTURE program and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit while Broady was completing his MBA. Now, nearly 11 years later, the nonprofit continues to advocate for autistic students across the country as it awards scholarships each year.
Photos from left to right (TJ Broady and family, Advocates for Autism group, Broady representing Alpha Phi Alpha)
Before going to UT, Broady was already committed to community service and servant leadership, but being immersed in the Volunteer spirit increased his drive to let service lead his life.
“Being a true Volunteer has to be in you already, but when you get to UT, it awakens,” says Broady. “Going to UT just accelerates the igniting of the fire.”
He knew he wanted to be a part of the family business, which is what led him down the business path at UT.
“I knew attending UT would boost my credibility in the family business,” says Broady. “Learning about supply chain, logistics, operations, marketing, and everything in between gave me the right skills to apply to the business and help make it better.”
Broady’s service mindset magnified by the Volunteer spirit inspired him to start his own life insurance company. Working in the funeral home business means thinking and talking about the finality of life—something for which people are often unprepared, and that complicates already challenging situations. Helping people prepare for that day eases the burden, which is where life insurance comes in.
“I just wanted to make someone’s life easier,” says Broady. “So I started my own company.”
That commitment to stepping forward doesn’t end with Broady’s business ventures. On top of his career, he’s heavily involved with the university as an alumnus.
A 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 recipient, Broady is a member of his college’s MBA Advisory Council and served on UT’s Young Alumni Council from 2021–2024. Passionate about education and inspired by his wife who graduated from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, he also sits on the CEHHS Dean’s Board of Advisors.
Ignited by a passion to serve others, the Nashville resident also immerses himself in his community. Broady helps run the Boys to Men ministry at Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church, where he connects with young men through the Bible. He also works with Project Alpha, an Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity program that educates young men on sexual health.
All that energy poured into serving his community and alma mater, while raising two kids with his wife, takes time and resources—but it’s anything but a burden to Broady, a Volunteer at heart.
“I was always told that we’re blessed to be a blessing,” says Broady. “Whenever we’re blessed with time, resources, or funds of any kind, we’re blessed with those things because we’re meant to glorify God by using them to help others.”
