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

Meeting Date and Time
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 10:45 a.m. CT

Location
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower
Tennessee Room 2, 3rd Floor
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37243

Documents to download

Meeting Date and Time
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. CT

Location
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower
Nashville Room, 3rd Floor
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Nashville, TN 37243

Documents to download

Meeting Date and Time
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 11:00 AM CT

Location
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower
Room E
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Nashville, TN 37243

Documents to download

Meeting Date and Time
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 1:45 p.m. CT

Location
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower
Nashville Room, 3rd Floor
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37243

Documents to download

Meeting Date and Time
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 2:00 PM CT

Location
Tennessee State Capitol
Executive Conference Room, Ground Floor
600 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37243

Documents to download

Meeting Date and Time
Monday, July 24, 2023 at 2:00 PM CT

Location
Tennessee State Capitol, Executive Conference Room, Ground Floor
600 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37243

Individuals with disabilities who wish to participate in these proceedings and require an accommodation should contact the Board of Trustees of the College Savings Trust Fund Program 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 Trustees of the College Savings Trust Fund Program Staff by phone at (615) 532-5888 or by email to the Board Secretary, LaKesha Page, at tn.stars@tn.gov

Learn more about the College Savings Trust Fund Program.

Documents to download

Meeting Date and Time
Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 11:00 AM CT

Location
Cordell Hull Building—Conference Room 8D, 8th Floor
425 Rep. John Lewis Way N.
Nashville, TN 37243

This meeting may be conducted permitting participation by electronic or other means of communication pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-44-108.  Individuals who are unable to attend in person may attend the meeting by following the below WebEx instructions:

Meeting Link

Phone: +1-415-655-0001
Meeting number: 2300 706 0240
Password: MMfBbPyc372

Learn more about the College Savings Trust Fund Program.

Documents to download

The College Savings Trust Fund Program Board of Trustees will convene at 1:00 p.m. (Central Time) Monday, July 18, 2022, in Conference Room 8C on the 8th Floor of the Cordell Hull Building at 425 Rep. John Lewis Way N., Nashville, TN 37243.

This meeting may be conducted permitting participation by electronic or other means of communication pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-44-108. Individuals who are unable to attend in person may attend the meeting by following the below WebEx instructions:

Join the meeting by Webex

Phone: (415) 655-0001 US Toll

Meeting Number: 2304 797 2491

Meeting Password: K5pWQRgKC23

Documents to download

The College Savings Trust Fund Program Board of Trustees will meet at 11:00 a.m. CT Thursday, July 15, 2021, via Webex. The Board will consider the items in the attached agenda.

Join the meeting by Webex

Meeting Access Code: 1722407781

To join only by phone, call 415-655-0001 and enter the Meeting Access Code: 172 240 7781

Documents to download

The College Savings Trust Fund Program will convene on January 20, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. CT via Webex. In the interest of public safety and welfare, this meeting will be conducted permitting participation by electronic or other means of communications pursuant to T.C.A. § 8-44-108.

Meeting Date and Time

Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 2:00 P.M. CT

Attend this meeting via WebEx

Meeting number: 178 533 6758
Password: b5Q8ns4DuNw
OR
Join by phone:

Dial: 1-415-655-0003 US TOLL
Access code: 178 533 6758

Documents to download

Meeting Date and Time

Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. CT
In the interest of public safety and welfare, this meeting will be held by electronic means only and will not occur in a physical location.

Attend this meeting via WebEx

Meeting number: 161 914 2273
Password: ptKQYdMR282
OR
Join by phone:

Dial: 415-655-0003
Access code: 161 914 2273

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