Appendix B - Commission Members
CHAIRPERSON
John Seigenthaler Chair and Founder of The Freedom Forum
First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University
Nashville
In addition to his work with The Freedom Forum First Amendment
Center, Seigenthaler appears weekly on Freedom Speaks, a public affairs television program shown on 120 PBS stations
nationwide. His weekly book review program, A Word on Words, is distributed by the Southern Public Television Network. He
is Chair Emeritus of The Tennessean, Nashville's morning newspaper, where he worked for 43 years
first as a reporter, then editor and publisher and finally CEO.
He was founding editorial director of USA Today. He was president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors
in 1988-89. He left journalism briefly in the 1960's as Administrative
Assistant to U. S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. He was
educated at Peabody College and Harvard University, where he was
a Nieman Fellow, and taught Public Policy/Communications at Duke
University during the 1980 academic year.
Members
Kathryn H. Anderson, Ph.D. Associate Professor - Department of
Economics and Business Administration, Vanderbilt University
Nashville
Anderson is an Associate Professor of Economics and Senior Fellow
in the Institute for Public Policy Studies at Vanderbilt University.
She received a Ph.D. in economics from North Carolina State University
followed by two years of post-doctoral work in economic demography
at Yale University.
Martha S. L. Black, Esq. Kizer and Black, Attorneys
Maryville
Black has been a partner in the firm of Kizer and Black, Attorneys,
of Maryville, Tennessee, since June of 1981. Prior to going into
private practice, she was on the faculty of the University of
Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville as an Assistant Professor
of Law, from 1973 to 1976, and as a tenured Associate Professor
of Law, from 1976 to 1981. A native of Maryville, she is a 1967
graduate of Mount Holyoke College and graduated first in her class
at the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1973.
Cynthia Rawls Bond President - Golden Circle Life Insurance Company
Brownsville
Prior to beginning her career at Golden Circle Life Insurance
Company, Bond received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fisk University
in Nashville and a Master of Arts degree from New York University
in New York City. She is the NAACP Life Membership Chairperson
and has served on the board of directors of the National Insurance
Association, the Brownsville Bank, the Lane College Trustee Board,
and the Resource Development Center. She is a former member of
the State Board of Education. Bond is a recipient of the Tennessee
Black Caucus of State Legislators' Avon N. Williams. Jr. Living
Legend Award.
G. Gordon Bonnyman, Jr. Attorney - Tennessee Justice Center
Nashville
As staff attorney and then managing attorney at the Legal Aid
Society of Middle Tennessee, Bonnyman has represented low income
and elderly clients in a broad array of civil cases before all
levels of state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme
Court. He is widely published and is quoted on health policy and
criminal justice matters in major American print media and on
radio and television networks in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
He is the recipient of numerous awards for his work in legal,
government, and civic organizations.
Donald W. Bouldin, Ph.D. Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
University of Tennessee
Knoxville
Bouldin has been a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville for the past 21 years. He
has received awards for outstanding teaching at the university
and for meritorious service to the IEEE Computer Society, including
the TAB Pioneer Award for his participation in CompuSat-88, a
tutorial video conference that was broadcast to more than 6000
engineers in North America. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of
the IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems and has authored more than 120 technical publications.
Susan W. Bowen President and CEO - Champion Awards, Inc.
Memphis
In addition to serving as President and CEO of Champion Awards,
Inc. since 1970, Bowen has been actively involved in business,
government, education, and Memphis civic organizations. Among
others past activities, she was a delegate to the White House
Conference on Small Business in 1986, a member on the Legislative
Committee on Education from 1987-1990, and chaired Leadership
Memphis from 1993-1994. Currently she is a board member for Christian
Brothers University, a member of the Economic Club of Memphis,
and a member of the Military Affairs Council.
Christine J. Bradley (Former Commissioner of Correction)
Chief of Staff to Mayor Phil Bredesen
Nashville
Bradley has held numerous leadership positions throughout her
career in which she is known for incorporating innovative management
techniques into a public forum. She is well known for her contributions
in the field of education, mental health, and criminal justice.
As one of the first female correctional commissioners in the nation,
she was the recipient of the American Correctional Association's
CEO award for leading Tennessee as the first state in the nation
to full accreditation status.
Melvin T. Burgess, Sr. (Former Director of Police Services for the
Memphis Police Department), Retired
Memphis
Burgess, a 33-year veteran of the Memphis Police department,
is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School. He attended
Grambling University and later enlisted in the Air Force. He received
a Bachelors degree in police administration from Memphis State
University.
Charles W. Burson Tennessee Attorney General
Nashville
Burson has served the state of Tennessee as Attorney General
since 1988. He is the Immediate Past President of the National
Association of Attorneys General and was the 1993 recipient of
the Wyman Award, given annually to the Attorney General who has
done the most to enhance the Office of Attorney General and promote
the goals of the National Association. Prior to graduating from
Harvard Law School in 1970, he received a B.A. with honors in
Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.A.
from Cambridge in 1968.
Lew Conner Attorney - Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry
Nashville
Included in Woodward/White "Best Lawyers in America" from 1987
to the present, Conner has been a trial lawyer for 33 years and
served as a judge on the Tennessee Court of Appeals from 1980-84.
In addition to serving as a lecturer at Vanderbilt School of Law,
he has been a Director of the American Arbitration Association
since 1990 and chair of its Tennessee Large Complex Case Panel
since 1992. He chaired the Tennessee Correction Overcrowding Commission
in 1985-86.
Andrea Conte President - "You Have the Power . . . Know How to Use It, Inc."
Nashville
A well-known victims' rights advocate since 1988, Conte is actively
involved with victims' rights issues and is the founder of You
have the Power . . . Know How to Use It, Inc., an organization
dedicated to community education, empowerment, and advocacy regarding
crime and justice issues. She worked many years in the health
care field prior to becoming owner/operator of a retail business.
She is currently on the Boards of The Tennessee Performing Arts
Center, St. Thomas Hospital, and Fisk University.
Robert L. Crossley Attorney - Long, Ragsdale & Waters
Knoxville
Crossley has practiced law in Knoxville for more than 40 years.
During two and one-half years of that time, he served as Director
of Law for the City of Knoxville and was briefly its mayor by
appointment of the City Council. During all of his career, he
has been a member of the American Bar Association, the Tennessee
Bar Association and the Knoxville Bar Association, of which latter
organization he was president in 1975. He is a fellow in the Tennessee
Bar Association.
Frank F. Drowota, III Justice - Tennessee Supreme Court
Nashville
Drowota has been a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court since
1980, serving as Chief Justice From February 1989 to September
1990. After receiving a J.D. from Vanderbilt University in 1965,
he practiced law until becoming a trial court judge, followed
by a seat on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. He retired as Commanding
Officer of a local naval reserve unit after 27 years of military
service.
Thomas F. Frist, Jr., M.D. Vice-Chairman of the Board - Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation
Nashville
Frist assumed his current position in April 1995, with the merger
of Columbia/HCA and HealthTrust, Inc. He received a B.A. from
Vanderbilt University and his M.D. from Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis. In 1968, he founded Hospital
Corporation of America (HCA) in Nashville with his father, Thomas
F. Frist, Sr., M.D., and the late Jack C. Massey. He was President
and Chief Executive Officer when HCA merged with Columbia and
he became Chairman of the Board of Columbia/HCA.
J. Kenneth Glass President - Tennessee Banking Group,
First Tennessee Bank National Association
Memphis
Prior to joining the First Tennessee Bank National Association
in Memphis as a corporate controller in 1974, Glass was a C.P.A.
with Arthur Anderson and Company. He attended Harding University
on a football scholarship and received a B.A. in 1968, graduating
Cum Laude. He most recently attended the Harvard Business School
Advanced Management Program in 1990.
Michael A. Grant, J.D. G? Motivational Consultants
Nashville
Grant is a motivational consultant and speaker. He received his
bachelors degree from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa;
studied public administration at the University of Missouri (masters
program); and received a J.D. degree from Howard University in
Washington, D.C. Upon graduation, he accepted a post in the Department
of Political Science at Morgan State University in Baltimore,
Maryland. He is the author of Beyond Blame, a book on motivation published by Smithson-Berry Publications.
Monice Moore Hagler City Attorney
Memphis
As City Attorney for the city of Memphis, Hagler is responsible
for providing legal opinions and legal representation to the city
administration, the city council, and the various city boards
and commissions, as well as defending and resolving all claims
and lawsuits filed against the city. She has served in this position
since July 1990, and has served on the staff of the City Attorney's
office since 1986. She earned an M.S. in social work administration
from the University of Tennessee and a J.D. from Memphis State
University School of Law.
John A. Jones Editor-in-Chief - Johnson City Press and President,
Press Holding Corp.
Johnson City
In addition to his responsibilities at the Johnson City Press and Press Holding Corp., Jones is on the Board of Directors of
Suntrust Bank of Upper East Tennessee, serves as chair of the
Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and is a member of numerous
professional, educational, and civic organizations. He is also
Past President of the Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors,
former chair of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission, and
former chair of the Johnson City Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Joe Lancaster CEO Emeritus - Tennessee Farmers Insurance Companies
Columbia
In 1994, Lancaster retired from Tennessee Farmers Insurance Companies
(the Farm Bureau group) after forty-three years of service, remaining
as CEO Emeritus and a part-time consultant for the companies.
In addition to holding numerous leadership roles in the industry,
he is a member of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee Board of Trustees, the
Board of Trustees of Maury Regional Hospital, a director of the
First Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Columbia, and past
president of the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of
America.
Lemuel Lewis President - WTVF-Channel 5
Nashville
no information available
John J. Maddux, Jr. Circuit Court Judge - 13th Judicial District
Cookeville
In 1992, the Tennessee Supreme Court appointed Maddux as chair
of the Court Executive Team, which is responsible for assisting
and advising the Commission on the Future of the Tennessee Judicial
System. He has served as Circuit Court Judge for the seven-county
Thirteenth Judicial District since his election in 1984. He is
president of the Tennessee Trial Judges' Association, immediate
past vice-president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, and
a member of the Tennessee Civil Pattern Jury Instruction Committee,
where he serves as chair of the subcommittees on Clarity and Comparative
Fault. He is an adjunct professor of business law at Tennessee
Technological University and author of a textbook titled Tennessee Government.
Judith P. Medearis Circuit Court Clerk - Hamilton County
Chattanooga
Medearis served as Deputy Clerk and Chief Deputy Clerk to the
Hamilton County Circuit Court before being elected as Circuit
Court Clerk in 1978. She is a Certified Public Administrator from
the 1989 charter class of the University of Tennessee Institute
for Public Service, Center for Government Training. She received
Certified Public Official certification from the Nation Association
of County Recorders and Clerks in 1992. She is a member of the
Board of Directors of the State Court Clerks Association of Tennessee,
the County Officials Association of Tennessee, and the National
Association of County Recorders and Clerks. She also serves on
the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
James G. Neeley President - Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council
Nashville
Prior to his election as President of the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor
Council in 1979, Neeley served as Tennessee Commissioner of Labor.
He is the founder and Chairman of the Board of the Center for
Labor-Management Relations. He is the founder and member of the
Board of Directors of the Tennessee Safety Congress, chair of
the State Council on Vocational Education, and holds membership
in numerous business, government, and civic organizations.
Paul Neely Publisher - The Chattanooga Times
Chattanooga
Neely has been Publisher of The Chattanooga Times since 1992, having previously worked as that paper's managing
editor. Prior to that he was a reporter and editor in Riverside,
California; Louisville, Kentucky; and St. Petersburg, Florida.
He is Vice-Chair of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and
a Trustee of Williams College, the Hunter Museum of American Art,
and the Tennessee Aquarium. He received a B.A. from Williams College
and an M.S. in journalism and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
Clayburn L. Peeples District Attorney General - 28th Judicial District
Trenton
Peeples is the District Attorney General for the 28th Judicial
District in rural West Tennessee, having been a prosecutor since
1977. Prior to that, he served three years as an Assistant Professor
of Criminal Justice at the University of Tennessee at Martin and,
before that, was a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps
of the United States Army. He holds both a B.S. and a J.D. degree
from the University of Tennessee.
Bill Purcell House of Representatives
Nashville
Purcell is House Majority Leader for the Tennessee General Assembly,
having first been elected to the House in 1986 and now serving
his fifth term. During his years as majority leader, he has sponsored
and passed legislation undertaking major reforms in Tennessee's
schools, courtrooms, industrial plants and board rooms, hospitals,
and voting booths. In the last session of the legislature he turned
his attention to reforms in the criminal justice system. By profession
an attorney, Purcell received his law degree from Vanderbilt University.
M. Lee Smith Founder and Publisher - M. Lee Smith Publishers & Printers
Nashville
In 1975, Smith founded M. Lee Smith Publishers & Printers LLC,
which publishes three directories, more than 90 newsletters -
most of them state-specific legal newsletters and many of them
jointly with law firms - and The Tennessee Journal, a newsletter on Tennessee government and politics. Additionally,
he serves as political analyst on Nashville's WTVF-TV. Smith received
his undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University.
Prior to starting his publishing company, he worked on the staffs
of U.S. Senator Howard Baker and Governor Winfield Dunn.
William B. Stokely, III Chairman and President - The Stokely Company
Knoxville
Stokely, former CEO of Stokely Van-Camp, Inc., of Indianapolis,
Indiana, is currently Chairman and President of The Stokely Company
of Knoxville. He directs the venture capital activities of a wide
variety of companies including restaurants, a hotel, and wilderness
lodges in the Great Smoky Mountains and Big South Fork. He is
also Chairman of the Board of the Greater Knoxville Sports Corporation.
Stokely serves as National Chairman of the University of Tennessee's
21st Century Campaign and is President of the William B. Stokely,
Jr. Foundation.
Gary R. Wade Judge - Court of Criminal Appeals
Knoxville
Wade has served on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals since
1987. After receiving a B.S. from the University of Tennessee
in 1970 and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of
Law in 1973, he went into the private practice of law. Additionally,
he served as the City Attorney for the city of Pigeon Forge (1973-87),
the Mayor of Sevierville (1977-87), and Chairman of the Board
of Sevier Title, Inc. (1975-1988).
A. C. Wharton, Jr. Chief Public Defender
Memphis
In addition to his position as Chief Public Defender for Shelby
County, Wharton is also a partner in the firm of Wharton & Wharton
& Associates as well as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University
of Mississippi in Oxford. He received a B.S. with Distinction
in Political Science from Tennessee State University in 1966 and
a J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1971. He sat as a
Special Justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1980. He is
a member of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the Board
of Directors of the Methodist Hospital System, the Board of Directors
of NationsBank of Memphis, and several university boards and commissions.
Jane W. Wheatcraft Criminal Court Judge - 18th Judicial District
Gallatin
Wheatcraft was elected to the position of Criminal Court Judge
for the Eighteenth Judicial District (Sumner County) in September
1994. She had previously served as a General Sessions Judge in
Sumner County since October 1985. She is a member of the Tennessee
and Sumner County Bar Associations, the Board of Trustees for
Volunteer State Community College, and the United Way Board for
Sumner County;.She was the 1995 recipient of the Leadership Sumner
Award. She received a J.D. degree from the Nashville School of
Law in 1977.
John S. Wilder Lieutenant Governor
Nashville
Wilder was first elected Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the
Senate of the State of Tennessee in 1971 and is currently serving
his 13th consecutive two-year term. He presides over all sessions
of the Senate, appoints all committees and committee officers,
is Vice-Chairman of the State Building Commission, Co-Chairman
of the Joint Legislative Services Committee, member of the Tennessee
Industrial and Agricultural Development Commission and the University
of Tennessee Space Institute Support Council. He is an ex officio
member of the Tennessee Mental Health Board.
Richard S. Wirtz Dean and Professor of Law - University of Tennessee College of
Law
Knoxville
Wirtz joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee College
of Law in 1974 and has served as Dean since 1992. He received
a B.A., magna cum laude, from Amherst College in 1961, an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson
School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University
in 1963, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1970. He is widely
published and active in professional and civic organizations,
including service as Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association
Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, Curriculum
Committee.
Court Executive Team
Judge John J. Maddux, Jr.(Chair)
Justice Frank F. Drowota, III
Judge Gary R. Wade
These three members of the Court Executive Team are also Commission
members. Their biographical information may be found in the Commission
Members listing.
Cornelia A. Clark Circuit Court Judge - 21st Judicial District
Franklin
Clark is a Circuit Judge in the 21st Judicial District. She is
also an instructor at Vanderbilt University Law School, where
she received her law degree. She chairs the Judicial Evaluation
Commission and is a member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference
Executive Committee, The Supreme Court Advisory Commission on
the Rules of Civil Procedure and Evidence, and the Uniform Probate
Code Commission. She is a Fellow of the Tennessee and American
Bar Foundations.
Joseph S. (Steve) Daniel Circuit Court Judge - 16th Judicial District
Murfreesboro
Daniel has served as Circuit Judge in the 16th Judicial District
for fifteen years. His judicial experience includes being the
past President of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, as well as
having served in various leadership positions with the Conference
and the Tennessee Trial Judges Association. He is a member of
the faculty of the National Judicial College, an adjunct faculty
member at Middle Tennessee State University, a Tennessee Bar Foundation
Fellow, and serves in various other civic organizations.
Charles E. Ferrell Director - Administrative Office of the Courts
Nashville
Ferrell has served as the Administrative Director of the Tennessee
Courts since 1992. Prior to assuming his current position, he
was a Vice-President of the National Center for State Courts in
Williamsburg, Virginia. Ferrell is the former Administrative Director
of the Courts in Oklahoma (1982-87) and began a career in court
administration in 1978 with the Supreme Court of North Carolina.
He is a member of the Conference of State Court Administrators,
National Association of Court Managers, and serves as a member
of the National Center for State Courts, Court Technology Advisory
Committee.
C. Creed McGinley Circuit Court Judge - 24th Judicial District
Savannah
After receiving a B.S. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville
in 1973 and a J.D. from Memphis University Law School in 1976,
McGinley was in private practice from 1976 to 1982 and served
as Assistant District Attorney General from 1982 to 1988. He has
served as Circuit Court Judge for the 24th Judicial District since
1988, hearing both civil and criminal cases of unlimited jurisdiction.
He currently serves on the Education Committee and A.D.R. Committee
of the Tennessee Judicial Conference as well as serving on the
Supreme Court's Commission on Gender Fairness.
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