NASHVILLE - Two Chattanoogans appointed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to serve on the Tennessee Board of Regents and Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission hope to bring unique perspectives to their new roles.
Tom White, a Chattanooga-based senior vice president for investor relations at Unum Group, recently was confirmed by the state Senate to the Board of Regents, which oversees 13 community colleges including Chattanooga State and Cleveland State, as well as 27 colleges of applied technology.
And Tony Sanders, a certified public accountant in Unum's group financial benefit consulting and host of a popular Chattanooga radio outdoors program, last week became the newest member of the Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission, which governs the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
White said he feels "really honored to be on that [TBR] board."
He already serves on the Chattanooga State Community College Foundation, is incoming chairman of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, serves in leadership positions at United Way of Chattanooga and is a past chairman of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's board of directors.
As part of Unum's charitable contributions and community relations efforts, White said, "a lot of what we do at work and what I'm personally interested in revolves around education and economic development. And I really saw the opportunity in the Board of Regents."
White replaced Howard Roddy as an East Tennessee at-large member on the 18-person board, which sets policies and guidelines governing all TBR institutions. White's term ends in 2022.
White joins a system undergoing major change. Under legislation pushed last year by Haslam, six universities that were formerly part of the Board of Regents, including Tennessee Technology University in Cookeville, have been spun off as stand-alone, self-governing institutions.
Haslam's goal is having the TBR focus on its community and applied technology colleges. It's part of the governor's Drive to 55 initiative that calls for 55 percent of Tennesseans to have a post-high school degree or certificate by 2025.
Meanwhile, new Fish & Wildlife Commission member Sanders said he's "very excited" about serving.
"I didn't hesitate, having been around hunting and fishing here my whole life," he said. "It was easy."
After a decade of hosting the weekly "Tony Sanders Show" on WGOW-FM, the avid outdoorsman and former Hamilton County Republican Party chairman is looking forward to using his outsider experience to benefit the state agency.
The TWRA is charged with preserving and managing wildlife statewide. It oversees and issues permits in areas pertaining to hunting, trapping, fishing and boating.
The agency also offers hunter and fisherman education, youth initiatives and outreach with various publications, guides and programs. And it operates nearly 100 wildlife management areas and refuges across Tennessee, ranging from 53 acres to 625,000 acres. Among them are areas in the Prentice Cooper State Forest near Chattanooga. The management areas are available for hunting and trapping.
Sanders comes onto the state Fish & Wildlife Commission with a fairly good grasp on much of that. A National Rifle Association Life Member, he serves on the Tennessee Friends of NRA executive committee and is a member of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Safari Club International.
He founded the Tri-State Quail Forever chapter and is a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited and other hunting and conservation groups. He is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and the Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association.
He's also been a TWRA hunter education instructor for some two decades. He got involved in hunter education through his children a quarter-century ago.
Through the years, the TWRA and its governing body have been embroiled in a number of battles and controversies in areas ranging from wild boar hunting to deer ranches, many of which inevitably wind up in the General Assembly.
Sanders said Hamilton County Republican legislators as well as Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, an avid hunter, approached him about finishing the term of local businessman David Watson, who stepped down as District 4 commissioner for health reasons. The district includes 10 Southeast Tennessee counties.
He'll attend his first meeting as a commissioner Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Tenn. His term expires in February 2021.
White, meanwhile, got his first full TBR board meeting under his belt earlier this spring. Regents meet again next month.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.