Executive Director

Dr. Achintya Ray is a tenured full Professor of Economics and holds an Endowed Chair of Excellence Professorship in Banking & Financial Services at the College of Business at Tennessee State University (TSU). Dr. Ray is also the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development at TSU. Dr. Ray serves on the Advisory Board of Audaz Capital, a boutique venture capital and private equity firm specializing in social mobility through the innovative application of advanced technology. He is a member of the Business Advisory Board of Nashville State Community College & currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of KCRCI, Inc., a renal care and research company with a footprint in three continents − North America, Asia, and Africa. Dr. Ray is a partner in the consulting firm Harpeth & Blair, LLC.

In the past, Dr. Ray served as the President of the Faculty Senate, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Chair of the Faculty Handbook Committee, Chair of the Promotion & Tenure Committee, Chair of the Budget & Finance Committee, and Chair of the Faculty Search Committee at Tennessee State University. He also served as a member of the Community Advisory Board at the Renasant Bank (NASDAQ Ticker RNST).

Dr. Ray trained at Vanderbilt University for his doctoral studies, specializing as a health economist. He is a distinguished keynote speaker at international conferences and a doctoral examiner for many leading universities. He has appeared on television shows for in-depth interviews on local, regional, and national issues, and he was featured in the front-page article in the Wall Street Journal. Besides health economics, Dr. Ray has extensive teaching, research, and advisory experiences in business strategy, entrepreneurship, venture capital, private equity, intellectual property valuation, competition studies, data science, and cybersecurity. Dr. Ray has received post-doctoral training in Accounting & Finance from the University of Florida and professional certifications in data science, big data, and cybersecurity from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Curriculum Vitae of Achintya Ray, Ph.D.