On Leadership: Plowman Interviews Stuart McWhorter on Fostering Trust
Chancellor Donde Plowman sat down with Stuart McWhorter, deputy governor and commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, to talk about fostering trust and creating opportunity for the state of Tennessee. The interview is the latest installment of the chancellor’s On Leadership video series.
During the conversation, McWhorter discussed how early experiences like serving as Clemson University’s mascot and working with his father shaped his initial understanding of leadership.
“[Being the mascot] taught me a lot about responsibility and accountability,” McWhorter said. “You’re meeting a lot of people outside of the suit. You’re meeting very influential people who support the university. And that, to me, was sort of the beginning of this journey around leadership.”
As McWhorter progressed in his career, he took on an active role running Clayton Associates, a venture capital company started by him and his father. The two ran the company together for 20 years, building relationships and trust with investors.
Those skills served McWhorter well when he was tapped by Governor Bill Lee to serve as finance chair for his gubernatorial campaign. Following Lee’s election, McWhorter made the career shift from business owner to commissioner, charged with boosting Tennessee’s overall economic prosperity.
Moving from the private sector to public service ended up being a natural transition for McWhorter, who practices some of the same leadership principles he learned from his entrepreneurial experience. When evaluating partnerships and development initiatives with key industries like nuclear energy, McWhorter keeps community needs at the forefront, understanding that each decision impacts real lives.
“It’s all about people and stewarding resources in the best way possible,” he explained. “We have over seven million Tennesseans in our state. And our view here is that those are our stakeholders, no different than the private sector.”
The full interview is available for viewing at the link below.