During a wide-ranging career in Vanderbilt University’s Office of the General Counsel, Sheree Wright learned that even for a respected and well-established academic institution, change is always on the horizon. Tackling issues in everything from healthcare to Title IX, she learned that listening, learning and growing were vital for success. Today, she brings that same knowledge to another institution rooted deeply in Tennessee’s history — the Tennessee Bar Association. In the following interview, the TBA’s new executive director shares her thoughts on some of the changes, challenges and opportunities facing the TBA and how she will approach them.

Shifting Into a New Role

Change is not something that Wright shies away from, which will serve her well in this new role. “The first thing I’m doing is learning,” she says. “Being on the staff of a bar association is not the same as being a volunteer — even a very involved volunteer — member. There are things we do as a staff that most members probably don’t even realize.” She is thinking ahead to how the association can continue to evolve and remain relevant, while serving our members and offering them what they value most from their membership. “Things are changing so quickly in technology, in how we process information, even in how we work collaboratively. For example, I’m thinking about where, physically, we need to be next. What kind of space will best serve our members?”

Wright has been an active TBA member since she started practicing law, and when Joycelyn Stevenson left the executive director position to return to her former firm, Wright says she saw a chance to make a shift of her own. “I was in the general counsel’s office at Vanderbilt for 33 years, starting as an in-house litigator and then branching out into other areas of law like healthcare, employment law, Title IX and other areas as needed.” She felt like she’d had a lot of different careers at Vanderbilt, and always thought that the TBA executive director job would be really interesting and would allow her to give back to the profession.

“When I was thinking about applying for this role and talking it over with my close friends and advisors, many of them said this position was made for me. It plays to my strengths and allows me to give back to a profession that has changed my life,” Wright states. “Being a lawyer has opened up more doors and done more for me than I ever imagined. I knew when Joycelyn left that this position likely wouldn’t open up again any time soon, so I decided to go for it. It was a hard decision, as Vanderbilt had been my long-time home, first as an undergraduate, then as a law student and finally as an in-house attorney. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I was given, and to the many wonderful colleagues that I had the chance to work with. In this new chapter, I am looking forward to giving back to the profession through the TBA and focusing my energy on continuing the bar association work which has been so important to me. “

Small Town Roots

She’s been “going for it” her whole life. A native Tennessean, she grew up outside Tullahoma where her family had a huge garden and farm animals, and they sold vegetables and baked goods at the local market on Saturday. Her rural upbringing gave her a solid foundation founded on the importance of hard work and respect for others, but not much exposure to life outside of her community. Wright applied to Vanderbilt as an undergraduate but says she had no idea what to expect. “The first time I toured campus was the day I moved in. I had no idea that people went on college visits or applied to lots of schools!”

Her parents didn’t go to college after high school, so she was a first-generation college student, and her high school guidance counselor discouraged her from applying to Vanderbilt at all. “There were no lawyers in my family — nearly everyone farmed on top of their ‘day job.’ My dad wanted me to have a job that didn’t require me to punch a time clock. He’d always worked in an hourly factory job, and he didn’t want that for me. My mother worked and attended community college to get her nursing degree while I was at Vanderbilt. I learned about perseverance and not giving up on dreams from her.”

Wright remembers that an attorney in Winchester, Clinton Swafford, was the only attorney she knew growing up. She asked him why he had decided on a career in law, and he answered that he really liked to help people and that every day was different. “I thought that sounded like a great job to have!”  He has continued to be a role model, as have many other attorneys along the way.

Wright graduated with a degree in economics and business administration. She decided to stay at Vanderbilt for law school and graduated in 1984, going on to work for Chancellor Robert Brandt. Later, she received an offer from a Nashville law firm doing defense litigation, which she says was “hard but rewarding. There’s a gamesmanship to it.” After about five years, she began to think about moving to an in-house counsel position and heard about a job opening at Vanderbilt in the Office of the General Counsel. There, she found her calling as the “go-to” person on labor and employment cases, working with a variety of departments at the university and medical center. “I gravitated toward the employment issues because of the opportunity to impact lives. An in-house attorney can remain a zealous advocate for the employer, but also advocate for fairness and compliance with law and policy when decisions are being made about individual employees.”

Digging Deep into Legal Ethics

In 2000, then-TBA President Katie Edge appointed Wright to the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. That committee was charged with reviewing and soliciting feedback from Tennessee attorneys and judges on revising the state’s ethics rules for attorneys. In October of that year, after five years of study, consultation and work, the TBA filed with the Tennessee Supreme Court its petition seeking the adoption of a new, completely integrated set of lawyer ethics rules for Tennessee, and the revised Rules of Professional Conduct replaced the Rules of Professional Responsibility. Wright was part of the team that argued in front of the court. She says, “You don’t often get to be part of a sea change. I was honored and so fortunate to be on the team that worked to change the rules. That’s the thing I’m proudest of from my time on the committee.”

Because of her work on the ethics rules changes, she became deeply involved in legal ethics issues. She was asked to be on an ethics panel at TBA’s annual Health Law Forum, a role she’s reprised for over 15 years. “I’ve always been really active in bar association work, on a local, state and national level, and I love working with other lawyers.”

Ahead in the ethical waters, says Wright, is the employment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the legal profession. In conversations with other bar association leaders across the country, she notes that they are beginning to dip their toes in with varying degrees of caution and enthusiasm. “AI will be another sea change for attorneys in that it has the potential to help them be more efficient, but we need to establish guardrails to deal with potential ethical issues. We need to think about how it can be used to provide legal services but also avoid some of the pitfalls that could come up if we just jump in.”

TBA Staff left to right, seated: Berkley Schwarz, Barry Kolar, Sheree Wright, Jennifer Vossler, Jarod Word; standing, middle row: Julia Canada Wilburn, Seretta Maxwell, Linda Murphy, Laura Labenberg, Chelsea Bennett, Jamie Rhode, Karen Belcher; back row: Paul Burch, Tanja Trezise, Derrick Dishner (Not pictured: Dave Bevis, Hank Elliott, Stacey Shrader Joslin, Brooke Leeton, Mindy Thomas, Liz Slagle Todaro)

The Duties of the TBA

Wright feels that bar associations are important for both the public and for the profession. “Our bylaws are very specific about our purpose. They state that the TBA will ‘foster legal education; maintain the honor, dignity and wellbeing of the members of the legal profession; enhance the performance of the legal profession; cultivate professional ethics and fellowship among [our] members; and promote responsible relationships between the legal profession and the public.’ So we have a duty as an organization to, among other things, hold ourselves and our members to a high ethical standard and to help our members be transparent in their interactions with the public.” She believes that being professional, fair, compassionate and ethical is consistent with being a good lawyer, and says she strives to treat other lawyers with respect and professionalism.

Immediate Past President Tasha Blakney says, “Throughout her career, Sheree has demonstrated a knowledge of the law as well as a genuine commitment to the bar and the community. She is from Tennessee, was educated in Tennessee, has practiced law here and has proven herself to be a well-respected leader. We know she will bring her considerable talents to the leadership of our association and will prove to be an incredible asset.”

Wright receives the Commodore Award from Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente in 2019. The Commodore Award is the university’s highest staff honor and recognizes staff members who have made significant contributions to the university’s pursuit of excellence in education, research and community service each year.

Membership and Leadership

For Wright, the benefits of being a TBA member — and actively volunteering and participating — are wide-ranging. There are multiple professional development opportunities, whether it’s speaking at a continuing legal education program, working with other lawyers on committees or attending meetings and conferences. “My involvement in bar associations helped me grow as a lawyer and as a professional,” she says.

Exposure to more networking and mentoring opportunities and developing relationships within the legal community are several advantages that Wright says her bar association memberships have given her. “Technology now gives us myriad opportunities to collaborate with other lawyers of different experience levels, and with those in different settings from the rural solo practitioner to someone in a large national firm,” she states. “I want the TBA to continue offering those benefits to our members, and for everyone to feel like there is a place for them in our organization.”

TBA President Jim Barry says, “Sheree’s engaging leadership style was evident from the first day she took the helm of the TBA, and I am excited by the possibilities for TBA with Sheree as executive director.” That engaging leadership style involves a lot of listening, says Wright. “For me, there are two important components of leadership: listening and collaboration. You have to be willing to listen and receive feedback, and it’s important to make people feel heard in a way that advances the team and the organization. I’m open to feedback and new ideas, and I’ve learned to seek input before making decisions or recommendations.”

Wright and her husband, Pat

Giving Back, Looking Ahead

“We have access to services in our profession that most people don’t have,” Wright says, “and that creates an obligation to give back to the community.” Responding to those needs ties in with the TBA’s Access to Justice Initiative, one of Barry’s priorities for the coming year. Wright wholeheartedly believes that being a lawyer is a privilege, and that lawyers should offer assistance where possible. “Supporting ATJ efforts is one way we foster positive relationships between attorneys and the community.”

Supporting the TBA’s diversity, equity and inclusion priorities is another area Wright believes is critical. During her time leading the Nashville Bar Association (NBA), the NBA co-sponsored the first Diversity Summit with the TBA, the Tennessee Lawyer’s Association for Women, the Lawyer’s Association for Women — Marion Griffin Chapter, the Napier-Looby Bar Association and the Nashville Bar Foundation. It’s an event that continues to draw lawyers together to focus on diversity and inclusion. “Diversity creates a cohesive and productive workplace, it increases collaboration, decreases conflict and fosters creativity. It allows people to learn from different perspectives and encourages us to set an example for what the organization means to its members,” Wright says. She thinks of diversity broadly and strives to show respect for all individuals. “I want to be sure that the TBA is creating events and spaces — both public-facing and member-driven — that are welcoming for everyone.”

“Sheree not only brings a wealth of diverse experience and excellence to the table, she brings an enthusiasm for the position and the mission of the TBA in general that is unmatched,” says Knoxville attorney Jason Long, who headed the executive director search committee. “I know Sheree will pour her heart and soul into the office of executive director because she wears her passion for our organization on her sleeve.”

With Wright at the helm, the TBA is looking toward an exciting journey through familiar passages and uncharted waters. |||

Julia Canada Wilburn is the editor of the Tennessee Bar Journal.