Head of the Class

Dewayne ScottDewayne Scott

Dewayne Scott is president and CEO of SRS Inc. in Nashville, Tenn. SRS grew from $150,000 in sales in 2001 to $24 million in 2007 and was named the Small Business Administration 8(a) Company of the Year for the state of Tennessee in 2005. It is the largest African-American owned firm (by revenue) in Middle Tennessee and the region’s third largest minority-owned company. SRS specializes in project management, construction management, and disaster recovery services. During his visit, Scott spoke to an undergraduate economics class, the MBA Entrepreneurship and Innovators class, and spoke to a group of students at a dinner event.

Michael StricklandMichael Strickland

Michael Strickland was the opening speaker for the 2010 Clifton M. Jones Student Leadership Conference on campus on March 20. He spoke to a group of 300 students about the company he built from scratch, Bandit Lites, and shared his leadership philosophy with them. Strickland also led a discussion on leadership with a small group of students during one of the “breakout sessions.” Strickland is the founder and CEO of Bandit Lites, a global leader in the entertainment lighting industry that has offices in Knoxville, Nashville, London, Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Taiwan.

Janice McKinley and Laura BarnesMcKinley and Barnes

Two notable alumnae of the College of Nursing visited campus on March 22 to participate in the Accomplished Alumni Program.

Janice McKinley is the vice president and chief nursing officer at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville. Under her leadership, Parkwest has won eight “Top 10 Hospital” designations, the VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence, and numerous other awards. She was the first recipient of the University of Tennessee Dr. Sylvia E. Hart Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002.

Laura Barnes is the vice president for patient care services at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Barnes is the recipient of numerous awards including the Tennessee Hospital Association Nurse of Distinction Award and the College of Nursing Outstanding Alumni Award for her accomplishments in the areas of management/administration and community service.

McKinley and Barnes spoke to a nursing class about career development and current issues in the nursing field.

Jason HouserJason Houser

Jason Houser currently serves as assistant director for legislative affairs for the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. In this position he works as a liaison between the department and Congress on a portfolio of issues pertaining to science and technology, intelligence, and domestic nuclear detection. He was appointed to the position by President Obama in 2009. Prior to his tenure at DHS, he worked as a political director for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and as a regional field director in Michigan for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid. Houser visited campus and spoke to students in Political Science 311: Contemporary Issues in American Public Policy, and to a group of students at the Baker Center.

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