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: 8/8/2023 8:30 AM Export event
Cassidy Denton
/ Categories: Board of Claims

Board of Claims Meeting

The Board of Claims will meet at 8:30 a.m. (Central Time) on August 8, 2023.

The Board of Claims will be meeting at 8:30 A.M. (Central Time) on August 8, 2023. The meeting will be held in the Executive Conference Room on the Ground Floor of the State Capitol located at 600 Dr. M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Nashville, TN 37243. The Board of Claims will review the following:

  • Minutes of June 23, 2023 Board meeting;
  • The settlement entered in the matter of Roberts v. Gibbs, USDC EDTN, 3:20-cv-00322;
  • Opportunity for Public Comment; and
  • Other Business

You must register by email to the Board Secretary, Rodney Escobar, at Rodney.Escobar@tn.gov, three (3) days in advance of the Board of Claims meeting in order to submit a comment or request the opportunity to make a public comment at the meeting about an item or items on the agenda, if allowed. If you do not register three (3) days in advance of the meeting, you will not be allowed to make a public comment at the meeting.

The period for public comment shall not exceed fifteen (15) minutes, and each member of the public permitted to address the Board shall be limited to three (3) minutes to make his or her public comments. No more than five (5) members of the public will be allowed to address the Board during each meeting.

Individuals with disabilities who wish to participate in these proceedings and require an accommodation should contact Rodney Escobar, Director of Claims and Risk Management no less than two (2) days prior to the scheduled meeting date to allow time for the Treasury Department to arrange for an accommodation. You may contact the Board of Claims at 502 Deaderick Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37243, (615) 741-2734, or Rodney Escobar by email at Rodney.Escobar@tn.gov.

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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