Tennessee Department of Treasury · David H. Lillard, Jr., State Treasurer

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Boards and Commissions

Chairs of Excellence Trust

Chairs of Excellence Trust is chaired by
Tennessee State Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr.

University Professor and Student

The Chairs of Excellence Trust is a permanent trust fund authorized in 1984 to further the cause of higher education in Tennessee. The funding of the program is provided through contributions made by a private donor and a matching amount by the state, thus creating a chair.

Income from the chair is used to offset the cost of retaining a nationally or regionally recognized

scholar
 at a state college or university who teaches in a specified academic area. The program is open to all state four-year colleges and universities, and the UT Space Institute.

A chair is authorized to spend 4% of the 3-year average market value of the chair. However, the corpus cannot be spent. Accordingly, only dividends, interests, and accumulated gains may be spent. Since 1984, a total of one hundred (100) chairs have been created.

The Treasury Investments Division is responsible for managing the assets of the Chairs of Excellence Trust.

Board Meetings and Materials

Upcoming Meetings

Recent Meetings

Event date: 11/12/2025 10:00 AM Export event
Amanda Gargus
/ Categories: Boards and Commissions, Tennessee Claims Commission

Tennessee Claims Commission Virtual Meeting

The Tennessee Claims Commission will meet virtually on November 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (Central Time).

Meeting Date and Time
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. CT

Location
Online Virtually

The Commission will consider the following:

En Banc Motions:

            Cecil R. Holmes v. State of Tennessee - Claim No.: V20252469-1

            Raja Mishra v. State of Tennessee - Claim No.: 0546-GL-25-0310193-001

After hearing the en banc requests, the Commission will also consider the following items, to wit:

            Any other business that might be brought before the Claims Commission.

This meeting will be conducted pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. §8-44-108. Please contact the Clerk of the Claims Commission at 615-741-0741 for more information.

Any questions may be directed to the Clerk of the Claims Commission whose office address and telephone number are 13th Floor, Andrew Jackson State Office Building, 502 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37243, (615) 741-0741.

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Documents to download

Chairs of Excellence Trust Board Members

The Chairs of Excellence Trust is comprised of the State Treasurer who serves as Chair, and seven (7) ex officio members.

Ex-Officio Members

Member Title/Department Location
David H. Lillard, Jr. (Chairman)
 State Treasurer Nashville, TN
Bill Lee Governor Nashville, TN
Jason Mumpower Comptroller of the Treasury Nashville, TN
Tre Hargett
 Secretary of State
 Nashville, TN
Jim Bryson Commissioner, Finance & Administration Nashville, TN
Randy Boyd President, University of Tennessee Nashville, TN
Dr. Steven Gentile Executive Director, Tennessee Higher Education Commission Nashville, TN

Audit Committee

Member Title/Department Location
Randy Boyd
 President, University of Tennessee Nashville, TN
Jim Bryson Commissioner, Finance & Administration Nashville, TN
Tre Hargett
 Secretary of State
 Nashville, TN

Contact Us

Have questions about the Chairs of Excellence Trust?  We're here to help!

 (615) 253-2265

Jaye.Chavis@tn.gov

Mailing Address

State of Tennessee
Chairs of Excellence Trust
Andrew Jackson Building, 15th Floor
502 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37243-0248