During 2026, the following officers, governors and delegates of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) will be elected as set forth in the association’s bylaws:

TBA Officers and Board of Governors

A vice president (from the East Tennessee Grand Division) will be elected by the association’s membership-at-large. The vice president automatically assumes the office of president-elect in 2027 and president in 2028.

District Governors

District Governors in the 2nd, 5th (Position 1) and 7th districts will be elected to three-year terms. These governors are elected by the members in their respective district.

Those who currently hold those positions are Ben Jones (2nd), Amy Willoughby Bryant (5th District, Position 1) and Matt Willis (7th). Ben Jones is eligible for reelection. Amy Bryant and Matt Willis are ineligible for reelection because of term limits.

Grand Division Governors

TBA Grand Division Governors are elected for one-year terms by the membership in each grand division.

• Two East Tennessee governors from the 1st, 2nd or 3rd district.
• Two Middle Tennessee governors from the 4th, 5th or 6th district.
• Two West Tennessee governors from the 7th or 8th district.

Those who currently hold those positions are:

East Tennessee:
David McDowell
Kelly Street

Middle Tennessee:
Sean Aiello
Rachel Moses

West Tennessee:
Joe Kirkland
Cheryl Patterson

Kelly Street, Sean Aiello, Rachel Moses and Cheryl Patterson are eligible for reelection. David McDowell and Joe Kirkland are ineligible for reelection because of term limits.

TBA Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates

Four members to represent the TBA in the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates will be elected for two-year terms by the TBA membership in 2026. The positions are designated Positions 2, 4, 5 and 6.

Those who currently hold those positions are Buck Lewis (Position 2), Jackie Dixon (Position 4), Danny Van Horn (Position 5) and Gail Vaughn Ashworth (Position 6).

Qualifying, Balloting & Elections

The officers, governors and delegates to the ABA are elected by the membership as provided by election procedures with petitions due Jan. 15, 2026.

To qualify for any of these offices, a candidate must file a nominating petition with the executive director of the TBA. The petition must be signed by 25 members of the association in good standing. The petition must be received on or before Jan. 15, 2026, via electronic mail at barED@tnbar.org. Electronic signatures can be collected and submitted electronically. Download the petition here.

The TBA elections will be carried out electronically using online balloting. As in the past, TBA members voting electronically will receive an email with a link to the election site along with a password to use to cast their ballots. Tabulation of election results will continue to be confirmed by an accounting firm selected by the board.

Electronic voting will have a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Central Time on the 15th calendar day following the date of distribution of the ballot(s). The date on which the ballots are distributed shall count as the first day of the 15-day period. Whenever there is no contest for an office for which a candidate qualifies, the Board of Governors or the House of Delegates as applicable shall have the authority to declare that any duly qualified candidate shall be automatically elected and a report of the election disseminated to the membership.

Questions?

This notice is in accordance with the bylaws of the TBA §15, 27 and 40 through 49. For more information on running for any of these offices, visit the TBA’s website at www.tba.org/election_guidelines. |||