Council Members

Appointed by Governor Bill Lee to a term of three years ending June 30, 2024

Dr. Stephen Loyd is an Internal Medicine/Addiction Medicine physician who graduated medical school and residency from the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. He currently serves as the Vice-President of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Loyd was the Assistant Commissioner (Opioid Czar) for Substance Abuse Services in the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Governor Bill Haslam’s administration. He has served as an expert witness in more than twenty federal and state cases against physicians who were improperly prescribing controlled substances. Dr. Loyd was named an Advocate for Action by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), an office of the President of the United States. He has delivered more than 100 educational lectures on addiction and treatment of opioid use disorder and proper prescribing of controlled substances. Dr. Loyd was an original member (still active) of the Treatment of Chronic Pain Guidelines Committee which defined pain treatment for providers in the state of Tennessee. He has worked as an Addiction Medicine Physician in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, specializing in the treatment of opioid dependent pregnant women. Dr. Loyd has served on multiple drug courts in Tennessee and remains an active participant in drug court in the 4th Judicial District under Judge Duane Slone. He has worked with multiple community level anti-drug coalitions from Johnson County to Shelby County and has worked with all levels of state law enforcement, mainly the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for Cedar Recovery in Middle Tennessee and he has been in recovery from opioid and benzodiazepine addiction since July 8, 2004.

Appointed by Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Charme P. Allen is a veteran prosecutor with over 30 years of experience.  In 2014, General Allen was elected as the first female district attorney general of the 6th Judicial District.

After earning her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, she became a full-time assistant district attorney general, pursuing her passion of seeking justice and helping victims of crimes.  Her model for successful prosecution not only involves enforcing the law and seeking punishment for crime, but it also requires a dedication to the prevention of crime at its source.

Appointed by Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Brian Buuck is Chief Executive Officer at Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services. Buuck joined Ridgeview in 2001, was appointed CEO in 2013, and since has dedicated his efforts toward ensuring that Ridgeview is responsive to the rapidly changing Behavioral Health Care environment and expanding services to meet the needs of the communities that Ridgeview serves.  Under his leadership, the organization has developed Same Day Access walk-in clinics, grown its continuum of substance abuse treatment services, and co-founded the ET Crisis Intervention Team.

With a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, he brings more than 30 years of experience in public mental health to the Ridgeview team. Buuck is an active member of the Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations, the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’ Regional Planning Council, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club.

Appointed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Sheriff Casey Cox was elected Sheriff of Cumberland County in 2014. Sheriff Cox began his law enforcement career at the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office in 1998. He has worked in all aspects of law enforcement, starting as an E911 operator, corrections officer, patrol deputy & supervisor, and criminal investigator. Sheriff Cox worked for approximately six years as a narcotics investigator where he was assigned to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Narcotics Task Force. He served as Chief Investigator for approximately 4 years before being elected Sheriff.

Sheriff Cox is a member of numerous boards and community organizations. He currently is the Vice Chairman of the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Board (AHIDTA). AHIDTA Executive Board provides leadership and direction on issues pertaining to drug enforcement throughout 94 designated counties within Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. HIDTA is administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Sheriff Cox has been appointed as a member of the State of Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council, a member of the Cumberland County E911 Board, Cumberland Prevention Anti-drug Coalition, Tennessee Sheriff’s Association, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, and Fraternal Order of Police. Sheriff Cox is a veteran of the United States Air Force where he served for four years. He is a graduate of Cumberland County High School and has a degree in Business Management. 

Appointed by Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Thomas Farmer is a Special Agent in Charge with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and is the State Director of the Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force (formerly named the Methamphetamine & Pharmaceutical Task Force). He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and has over 33 years of law enforcement experience of which over 23 years has been in the field of drug enforcement.  Tommy has received extensive specialized training and certifications from various accredited federal, state, local and private training programs such as DEA, FBI, Department of Justice, Homeland Security, TBI, etc., in the areas of advanced investigation, drug enforcement, chemical and pharmaceutical diversion, clandestine laboratory, special weapons and tactics.     

He has been a major participant in the Task Force since its inception in 1999 and through the phenomenal growth to become the State Dangerous Drugs Task Force. He served as an advisor to the Tennessee Governors Methamphetamine Drug Task Force responsible for the Meth-Free Tennessee Act and is currently the Director of the Governor’s Task Force over Marijuana Eradication.  

Appointed by Governor Bill Lee to a term of 3 years ending June 30, 2024

Mike Flynn received his B.A. from the University of Tennessee in 1976, graduating with Highest Honors.  He did a graduate study in Finance and Financial Investments from 1976 to 1977, and in 1980, from the University of Tennessee College of Law.  From 1980 to 1990, he was in private practice in Blount County, Tennessee and in 1990, was elected District Attorney General for the Fifth Judicial District of Tennessee. He is retiring August 31, 2022 after 32 years of service.

He is a member of the Blount County Drug Court Team, and has served on the team since its inception in 1997.  He is the past President of the Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals and  served on the Drug Court Advisory Committee for the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration for a number of years.

Mike is a member of Maryville First United Methodist Church.  He is married and has two children and four grandchildren.  He has served on the board of many community groups including in numerous community groups including Haven House and A Secret Safe Place for Infants.

Appointed by Governor Bill Lee to a term of 3 years ending June 30, 2024

Sheriff Armando Fontes and his wife, Jackie, have been married for 25 years and have four children. He has been with the Cocke County Sheriff’s Department since 1997, serving as Sheriff for the past 12 years. He will be retiring in August after many years of dedication as Sheriff to serve his community in a different capacity as a School Resource Officer for Lake Way Christian Academy working under the jurisdiction of the White Pine Police Department. During his time of service, he has received many awards including Sheriff of the Year by the Tennessee Constable Association in 2018 and Best of the Best County Law Enforcement Officer in both 2018 and 2019, just to name a few. Sheriff Fontes assists with the yearly in-service training that is required by the Tennessee Peace Officers Training Commissioner. Throughout his long and decorated career, Sheriff Fontes has lived by the philosophy of leadership by example.

Appointed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Dr. Timothy Fournet is a board certified cardiologist in practice for 26 years. He has served as Chief of Staff at Cookeville Regional Medical Center and as Managing Partner for Tennessee Heart PLLC. Dr. Fournet is also a proud board member for Volunteer Behavorial Health. 

Appointed by Governor Bill Lee to a term of 3 years ending June 30, 2024

Dr. Jackson is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, Tennessee, where he maintains a private practice in family medicine, and directs the palliative medicine program at the West Cancer Center. Dr. Jackson also serves as the Associate Fellowship Director for Palliative Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.  From this professional platform, he leads multiple teams of dedicated clinicians who have helped to transform the experience of seriously ill patients in the Mid-South.

Dr. Jackson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and his Diploma in Theology at Oxford University in England, where he was awarded the Samuel Cox prize for New Testament Studies. He served as the President of the Academy of Integrative Pain Management, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, is board certified in Pain Medicine, holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.

Dr. Jackson has been the recipient of numerous clinical and teaching awards, and has published his research in numerous journals, including Family Medicine, Journal of Affective Disorders, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Medical Association.  He has also served as Editor in Chief of The Pain Practitioner, and has co-authored a book on family dynamics.  A frequently invited speaker at national and international professional meetings, he has also been featured in several multimedia projects concerning the treatment of affective disorders and chronic pain, as well as the history and philosophy of medicine.

Outside medicine, his interests include an active outdoor lifestyle, literature, music, and theology.  His most fulfilling role, without a doubt, is being a dad and a husband.  He and his wife Jana are thrilled to have planted a new church in the Memphis area in 2019.

Dr. Jackson believes in Memphis as a place where grit meets grace.

Appointed by Tennessee Municipal League to a term of 5 years ending June 30, 2026

Dr. Ken Moore, Mayor of Franklin is the 31st Mayor and second physician to head the City of Franklin. Ken practiced orthopaedic surgery for more than twenty-eight years and gained recognition on a state and national level as a leader. He was elected as an Alderman at Large in 2007 and assumed the role of Mayor in January 2011 and was reelected in October 2011, 2015 and 2019. 

Mayor Moore is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. After medical school, he served in the United States Army at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as a general medical officer.  He received his orthopaedic training at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.  Upon leaving the Campbell Clinic, Ken and a medical school classmate started a practice in Columbia, Tennessee where he practiced until retirement in March 2004. 

He currently serves as Chair of the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus and is a member of the Executive Committees of both the Greater Nashville Regional Council, the Transportation Policy Board, and the Regional Transit Authority. Governor Haslam appointed him to the Pollution Control Board. He also currently serves as the President of the Tennessee Municipal League. 

Mayor Moore maintains a passion for delivering healthcare to the underserved and is medical director for the Shalom Foundation which provides free surgery to poor Guatemalan Children and was highly involved in the opening of a new Out-patient Surgery Center for the Foundation in Guatemala City.   

Sustainability was one of his initial focuses and resulted in Franklin receiving a Platinum Level Award for Sustainability by the TVA, He has been a constant advocate for education involving Columbia State Community College and their new campus. Transportation has been an interest which he continues to work on a regional basis. As a physician, he has also promoted community health with a focus on tobacco cessation, obesity, activity, and mental health issues. In 2017, the City was recognized by Healthier Tennessee as one of nine communities in the State to achieve this designation. During his tenure, the City has continued to receive many top designations. 

Ken is married to Linda Crowell, a Franklin original, and they have five children and six grandchildren. They both enjoy travel and home life. Linda is a passionate pet owner and Ken enjoys golf. 

Appointed by Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Karen Pershing serves as the Executive Director of the Metro Drug Coalition in Knoxville, Tennessee.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Tennessee.  After working for many years in public health, Karen received her Master’s Degree from UTK in Public Health.  Ms. Pershing has provided numerous trainings throughout her career on health-related topics.  Other credentials include:  Women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute Class of 2014 (A National program through SAMHSA), Leadership Knoxville Class of 2013, Tennessee Department of Health recognition for work in prescription drug abuse prevention, member of the Tennessee Public Health Association, Executive Women’s Association, and former member of the UT Chancellor’s Associates program.  She is a Certified Prevention Specialist II and a 2014 graduate of the UT Consortium for Social Enterprise Effectiveness.  Karen was the 2016 recipient of the Partners and Leadership Award from the Tennessee Public Health Association as well the recipient of the 2017 FBI Community Director’s Leadership Award, representing the Knoxville Field Office and a 2018 recipient of the Knox Biz (formerly Knoxville Business Journal) Healthcare Heroes Award for her work in addiction and recovery.  Other Boards she serves on are:  Harmony Family Centers, the Prevention Alliance of Tennessee, and The Sycamore Institute.

Appointed by Tennessee County Services Association to a term of 5 years ending June 30, 2026

E. Shayne Sexton has served as Criminal Court Judge for the Eighth Judicial District (Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union Counties) since 1998. In 2005, he established the Drug Recovery Court for the district and currently serves as presiding judge. During his tenure, he served on the Community Health of East Tennessee (CHET) Board of Directors and the State of Tennessee Drug Court Advisory Board.

Appointed by Tennessee County Services Association to a term of 5 years ending June 30, 2026

A strong advocate for children and families, substance abuse treatment, and social justice, Lisa Tipton is the Executive Director of Families Free. A lifelong resident of Tennessee, Lisa continues to impact the Northeast Tennessee region where she resides. 

Lisa received her degree in the field of Social Work at East Tennessee State University. Lisa is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (BSW, LADAC II, CAADC, QCS) and she is committed to high quality, clinical interventions.  Her 25 years of experience in the field of Social Work have led to the improved quality of life for system involved individuals in the Northeast Tennessee Region as she has worked with various State agencies and community partners to better the lives of women, children, and families.  

Lisa envisioned the creation of Families Free from a decade of work experience with Omni Vision where she experienced caring for children in therapeutic foster care, engaging families, and navigating the State systems. Lisa founded Families Free in 2009 with the vision of strengthening families, especially those affected by incarceration. She built the foundational values of Families Free on the spiritual principles of justice, faith, and restoration. The belief that a well-resourced, high-capacity group of leaders combining their gifts and competencies for the good of others and the community, can be a great business model while providing an energizing and life-giving work environment.  

Lisa currently serves on the team for the First and Second Judicial District Felony Recovery Courts, as well as the Washington County Misdemeanor Recovery Court. In 2019, Lisa was appointed by Governor Lee to serve on the Criminal Justice Reform Task Force as part of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee. In 2021, Lisa joined the Bright Start TN Committee. 

Lisa is also appointed to the Foster Care Review Board in Johnson and Carter counties in Northeast Tennessee. Lisa also serves on various community committees and work groups seeking to improve the lives of system involved individuals in Northeast Tennessee.  One of Lisa’s most rewarding accomplishments is opening the Storie House, our supportive housing program for women in the Families Free treatment programming and their children. 

Recent Recognition & Awards 

• 2017 Milligan Leader in Christian Service Award Recipient 
• 2019 Recipient of the Calvary Church JOY Conference Award 
• 2022 Distinguished Alumni award from the ETSU College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. 

Appointed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Wayne Wykoff is a Knoxville attorney focusing in the areas of social security disability, bankruptcy, and domestic law.  He earned his degree in computer science from ETSU in 1980 and his Law Degree from UT in 1992.  Before and during his law school career, Wykoff was an IT consultant.

Wykoff has practiced law since 1993 and has handled many cases in family law touching upon drug use and dependency, ranging from the Marijuana era to the Cocaine era then the crack cocaine era moving to the Meth era and now into the Opioid and Heroin era.  He has represented persons before the Nursing Board and in criminal courts dealing with Opioid overprescribing and distribution of Opioids.

In Wayne’s spare time he has actively pursued racket sports and has the shoulder and knee surgeries to prove it.

Appointed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton to a term of 4 years ending June 30, 2025

Dr. Stephanie G. Vanterpool is a Targeted Pain Treatment clinician, researcher and advocate. She is the Director of Comprehensive Pain Services, as well as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology for the University of Tennessee’s Graduate School of Medicine. She received her MD from Duke University School of Medicine and completed her anesthesiology residency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and completed pain fellowship at Carolina’s Pain Institute/Wake Forest University. She then entered private practice for several years before returning to Duke’s Fuqua School of Business to obtain her MBA. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and board certified in both anesthesiology and Pain medicine. Dr. Vanterpool serves on the boards of the Tennessee Pain Society and North American Neuromodulation Societies in various leadership capacities. She is recognized as a regional and national leader in pain management education, practice and policy. Most recently, Dr. Vanterpool was appointed to the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council by the state’s Speaker of the House. Her professional passion is to create a paradigm shift in how pain is assessed and treated through awareness, application and advocacy.

Stephanie G. Vanterpool MD, MBA, FASA
Director, Comprehensive Pain Services
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine

Immediate Past President -Tennessee Pain Society

Director at Large - North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS)

Co-Chair - Diversity and Outreach Committee, NANS