Haslam Appoints Smith to Tennessee Board of Regents

Appointee will serve as representative of First Congressional District. 
                                                                                                                                
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed J. Parker Smith to the Tennessee Board of Regents as the representative of the First Congressional District. 

“I am grateful to Parker for serving our state in this important way,” Haslam said.  “His experience and commitment will be valuable on the board.”

Smith, 60, is vice president and general manager of Worldwide Manufacturing Support and Global Quality for Eastman Chemical Company.  He has spent his entire career with Eastman, which he began as a co-op student while at North Carolina State University.  He has served as superintendent of the Centralized Maintenance Division in Kingsport and the leader of the Eastman Chemical Worldwide Maintenance and Reliability Team. 

“I am honored to be appointed by Governor Haslam to the Tennessee Board of Regents,” Smith said. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve Tennessee’s universities, community colleges, and colleges of applied technology as we strive to meet the state’s needs for a highly trained workforce and a better educated population.”

Smith volunteers with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, Tri-Cities Airport Commission, Boy Scouts of America, Sequoyah Council, Kingsport Library Commission, Kiwanis Club of Engineering, Kingsport Commission on Higher Education and the Kingsport Economic Development Board. 

Smith and his wife, Kay Ann, currently reside in Kingsport, and they have one son, Ross.  They are active members of First Broad Street United Methodist Church.