Tammy White, a native of South Carolina, has made Knoxville her home for more than three decades. She embraces servant leadership, with a strong sense of community and desire to serve.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and master’s degree in conflict management from Lipscomb University.

With extensive experience in the public, private, and civic sectors, White joined Leadership Knoxville in 2009. She has overseen the addition of youth, collegiate, and senior leadership programs to intentionally build a continuum of leaders from youth to seniors.  Additionally, she launched Connect Knox, which serves as a civic solutions lab to convene stakeholders on pertinent issues like Neighboring and The Big Table to better connect cross-sectional and cross-generational leaders throughout our community.  Most recently added is Encore, a senior program to better engage sage voices in our region with opportunities to serve and impact with their time and talent. 

 In 2010, she was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to the State of Tennessee Ethics Commission, where she serves as Chair.  Governor Bill Lee appointed her to the Keep Tennessee Beautiful State Advisory Council in 2023.  White previously served on the National Association of Leadership Programs board of directors and participates in her community by serving on numerous local boards.  She is a graduate of Leadership Tennessee (Class XI), Leadership East Tennessee (2016) and Leadership Loudon County (2001).  She is the proud mom of daughter, Courtney, who attends Rockhurst University on a lacrosse scholarship.

Marc Gibson is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Director of Innovation Partnerships and Economic Development (IPED). He leads a team that oversees university-wide strategy for engaging with industry, government, and non-profit partners. Marc’s success in this role results from his extensive industry and community connections in East Tennessee and his understanding of how to align diverse and sometimes competing stakeholder interests and perspectives to work towards a shared goal for the benefit of all.

IPED supports inclusive economic development and impacts through knowledge and technology transfer to industry and community partners, small business incubation and support, and the development of place-based innovation initiatives that expand economic opportunities for Tennessee businesses, communities, and individuals. Working closely with the UT Research Foundation, the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm, and other key organizations, IPED assists with the formation and expansion of strategic partnerships between UT and external partners whose interests align with the university’s commitment to advancing knowledge and its impact in the community. Finally, IPED helps catalyze competitive proposal opportunities with external sponsors (government agencies, industry, non-profit organizations, and individuals) to expand the university’s knowledge enterprise.

Marc serves as a board member on the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) and has held previous appointments for leading organizations such as the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP), the Network for Academic Corporate Relations Officers (NACRO), TennSMART, as well as multiple industry advisory positions, including the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), The Shull-Wallan Center for Neutron Sciences, and the Transportation Research Center at UT.

Byron Hughes is Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In this capacity he leads student advocacy, support, and mattering & belonging-focused areas providing overall leadership, management, and strategy to create a culture of student success and well-being. As dean, he and his team develop and support opportunities for students to thrive and flourish personally, socially, and academically.

Byron joined UT in 2022 from Virginia Tech, where he served as the dean of students. Throughout his career he has held progressive leadership responsibilities in the areas of residence life, student conduct, care and support, fraternity and sorority life, student disability services, new student and family programs, and multicultural student life. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in higher education from Virginia Tech, his master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Ball State University, and his bachelor’s degree from Salisbury University.