Leveraging Our Strengths to Help Make Tennessee an Economic Powerhouse
The Volunteer State has long been a leader in the mobility and energy sectors. Tennessee is home to a robust automotive manufacturing industry, the nation’s largest Department of Energy national science laboratory and largest public power company, and major research universities like Vanderbilt and UT.
Recently I joined Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Council on Competitiveness President Deborah Wince-Smith to author an op-ed making the case that by leveraging those strengths and bringing more partners to the table, Tennessee can become the country’s next great innovation hub.
The op-ed followed the council’s first Competitiveness Conversation, held in Nashville in late April. I was proud to cohost the event alongside my friend and colleague Chancellor Diermeier. It drew some of the great minds and talent of our state to consider how to unlock Tennessee’s potential as an innovative economic leader in our country.
We heard expert scientists from UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory on the future of nuclear fusion and quantum computing. Top executives from FedEx, Volkswagen, Oracle, Nissan, and other companies discussed their reasons for investing in Tennessee and the needs that still exist around workforce development. Governor Bill Lee and Senator Bill Hagerty gave perspective to the momentum we’re building as a state and where we are headed.
Listening to those passionate leaders and creative problem solvers together in one room, exploring Tennessee’s strengths and challenges, I’ve never been more certain of the opportunity in front of us at UT and our ability to propel Tennessee’s economy into the future.
As the state’s flagship R1 land-grant university, UT is focused on meeting the needs of our state. That means contributing to and creating knowledge, developing a skilled workforce, and pursuing ambitious projects. We have enormous expertise and capabilities in mobility and energy among other fields, and we’re ready to play a role in convening partners and building coalitions.
I hope you will take a few moments to read more about the progress we are making.