Institute News

I didn’t expect our Leadership Academy session last week at UT Martin to feel like a conversation with myself in the mirror—but there I was, listening to Petra Rencher McPherson, senior vice chancellor for finance and administration, talk about “Leading from the Crossroads.” It was like she was telling my story, just with better credentials.

She shared how her path wasn’t a straight line. There were detours, challenges and moments of uncertainty, and somehow, that made her story even more powerful. I couldn’t help but think, “That sounds a lot like my story!”

Participants from six towns in rural East Tennessee recently participated in the Rural Community Leadership Program (RCLP), a joint venture with the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) and the UT Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership (NCEL).

Leading a public agency is difficult, but in times of deep political division, the responsibility becomes even more complex. The public looks to government institutions—local, state and federal—not only for services, but also for stability, trust and reassurance. When political climates are polarized, agency leaders must be intentional, disciplined and grounded in principles, not partisanship. Effective leadership during these moments is not about avoiding political realities; it is about navigating them with integrity, so the people we serve remain the focus.

This past week, our leadership team spent several days at Harvard looking at creativity and agility. We learned that high-performing, agile organizations require a high degree of alignment, as well as a high level of autonomy.
 
In our organization, how aligned is everyone toward the goal, and how much autonomy does each person have in the conduct of her/his work? The goal, of course, is to achieve a high level of each and to be an aligned entrepreneurial organization.
 

MTAS Fire Management Consultant Donald Pannell is a member of the current IPS Leadership Academy class.
 

Good leadership is often associated with successfully navigating the course through change. And successfully navigating change is often directly related to problem solving in an organization. While the paths to leading change and problem solving often cross, their starting point is generally the same. The first step is always to identify the change needed and clearly define the problem.

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the UT Center for Industrial Services (CIS) are joining forces to provide affordable training opportunities to help Tennessee manufacturers achieve their desired goals.

The Tennessee Chamber is offering  and marketing the training while UT CIS is providing expert instructors on a range of manufacturing topics.

I’m hearing the shorthand “VUCA” a good bit lately. The acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity seems to reflect the world many of us find ourselves in these days.

The danger of VUCA is that these circumstances can distract us, or even derail us, from achieving our mission. VUCA can make us tentative and unclear in our communication, increase the time of decision-making, spur analysis paralysis, confuse activity with impact, or result in the urgent supplanting the important.

The University of Tennessee (UT) Center for Industrial Services (CIS) was one of three recipients of grants awarded from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA awarded $1.1 million to the three organizations to provide training and technical assistance to support small manufacturers in the SBA’s Empower to Grow (E2G) program.

“We’re excited and proud to be one of three E2G award winners across the U.S.” said CIS Executive Director Paul Jennings. “We look forward to helping small manufacturers in rural, distressed areas achieve their performance goals.

MTAS Executive Director Margaret Norris is returning to her role as a municipal management consultant with the agency. Angie Carrier, program manager for municipal management consultants, will serve as interim executive director.

“We appreciate Margaret for the eight years she served as executive director of MTAS, and the guidance she gave to the agency,” said IPS Vice President Dr. Herb Byrd. “I understand  her decision to return to her first love, serving the municipalities of Tennessee as a consultant.”

The Institute for Public Service has named Josh Suddath, director of planning and engineering for Sumner County, as the executive director of the new Center for Local Planning. Suddath will start his new role on Monday, Oct. 13. 

He has served as the director of planning and engineering since 2018 and he previously served as assistant town administrator for the town of Collierville. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and his master’s in public administration, planning and economic development, both from East Tennessee State University.