Local Governing Board Appointments
On October 12, 2016, Governor Bill Haslam announced the eight appointees to the newly created Tennessee State University (TSU) local governing board, giving the university increased autonomy to support student success as the state continues its Drive to 55 initiative.
Subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, the board appointments are effective January 16, 2017. If confirmed, board members will undergo orientation and professional development delivered by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The TSU board will assume responsibility upon the first called meeting by Governor Haslam.
Deborah Cole
Dr. Deborah Cole serves as president and CEO of Citizens Savings Bank & Trust Co. She holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in business administration from Tennessee State University, where she was honored with the university’s Women of Legend & Merit in 2007. A lifelong learner, she also earned a doctorate of divinity in theocentric business and ethics and credentials at Louisiana State University’s Graduate School of Banking of the South.
Stephen Corbeil
Stephen Corbeil is president of TriStar Division of Hospital Corporation of America. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from University of Iowa.
Bill Freeman
Bill Freeman serves as chairman of Freeman Webb, Inc., a real estate development firm based in Nashville. He attended the University of Tennessee and worked for the Nashville Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency before co-founding his company in 1979.
Richard Allen Lewis
Dr. Richard Allen Lewis, Sr. is the owner of Lewis & Wright Funeral Home, which has served the greater Nashville community for over 50 years. Lewis graduated from Tennessee State University and served on the Tennessee Board of Regents from 1981-1991. He is active in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and currently serves as the national Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer.
Pam Martin
Pam Martin is the president of Cushion Employer Services and was appointed to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in 2014. A Nashville native, she has served in a number of capacities with the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, as wel as on the executive board of the United Way of Nashville. She graduated from Draughons Business College and attended the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.
Obie McKenzie
Obie McKenzie is the Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. He was a founding Board member
of the National Association of Securities Professionals, where he received the Wall Street Hall of Fame Award in 2001 and was also a recipient of the Wall Street Award for Service to Children from the New York Mission Society in 2006. Mr. McKenzie graduated from Tennessee State University and received his master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.
Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD
Dr. Edith Peterson Mitchell is a clinical professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology for the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and currently serving as the President of the National Medical Association. In addition to her medical achievements, Dr. Mitchell is a Brigadier General, Air National Guard (Retired). Dr. Mitchell graduated from Tennessee State University and earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia.
Joseph Walker III
Bishop Joseph Walker III is pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville and presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, International. Committed to community economic development and educational opportunity, he sits on the Board Directors of the American Red Cross of Nashville Area and the Board of Trustees of Meharry Medical College. Bishop Walker received a Bachelor of Arts from Southern University (Baton Rouge, LA), a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. He holds two honorary doctorates from Meharry Medical College and Southern University.