WGU Tennessee
A University Built For You

Shannon A. Brown, Retired from FedEx

Shannon A. Brown most recently served as Senior Vice President of Eastern Division U.S. Operations and Chief Diversity Officer at FedEx Express. In this role, he was responsible for station, hub and ramp operations in the eastern U.S. region. As Chief Diversity Officer, his work also includes maintaining an effective diversity and inclusion environment where every team is valued and has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Shannon received his Bachelor’s degree from National-Louis University; Master’s degree from the University of Denver.

Shannon began his career at FedEx in 1978 as a package handler at the Memphis World Hub. As he advanced in his career, he continued to demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities and a strong commitment to service. His executive achievements also include serving as Senior Vice President and Chief HR/Diversity Officer at FedEx Express and as Senior Vice President of HR at FedEx Ground. He has attained many honors, including multiple FedEx Five Star Awards and the CEO Five Star Award.

Shannon is actively involved with a variety of corporate, academic, and nonprofit institutions. He currently serves as a director of BancorpSouth, Inc., a financial holding company. Additionally, he was appointed by former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to the Advisory Board of Western Governors University. He also holds board memberships with the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver, the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas, and is a Leadership Fellow with the Mineta Transportation Institute. His dedication to community service includes memberships on the Central Board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis and the Orpheum Theatre Group in Memphis. His background also includes service as past Chairman of the Board for United Way of the Mid-South.

Shannon’s outstanding professional and civic leadership achievements have brought him to the forefront of media attention. He has been named to Black Enterprise magazine’s lists of “100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America” and “Top Executives in Corporate Diversity,” as well as Savoy magazine’s “Top 100 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America.” He is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) and was featured in Forbes magazine’s “Diversity at the Top” edition honoring the ELC’s 30th anniversary. Shannon is a recipient of the National-Louis University Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Mark Cate, President & Principal, Stones River Group

Mark Cate is a co-founder and president of the Stones River Group. Mark formerly served as Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s chief of staff where he was his top advisor, strategist and negotiator. Through his work as chief of staff, Mark gained a nuanced understanding of the inner workings of state and local government and the legislative process and developed an extensive network of relationships in Tennessee and across the country with business, policy and political leaders.

Mark received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Economics from CarsonNewman College, his Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Tennessee, and he attended Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management.

Mark was the Governor’s primary liaison with the Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Education and both higher education systems. He also led several legislative policy initiatives including K-12 education reform, workers’ compensation reform, civil service reform, an alternative approach to Medicaid expansion, and post-secondary education reform including the nationally-acclaimed Tennessee Promise program.

Prior to serving in state government, Mark successfully managed Governor Haslam’s first gubernatorial campaign in 2010 that led to a record-setting general election victory. He spent 16 years in higher education, serving as a chief planning officer, chief development officer, chief marketing officer and chief financial officer during his tenure. He also was an elected member of a local Board of Education.

Mark and his wife, Cathy, have two daughters.

David A. Golden, Ruth and Alan Harris Chair of Excellence, ETSU College of Business and Technology

David A. Golden is the Allen & Ruth Harris Chair of Excellence in the College of Business & Technology at East Tennessee State University. David recently retired as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal & Sustainability Officer, and Corporate Secretary of Eastman Chemical Company--a multinational, materials innovation company headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee and member of the Fortune 500. While at Eastman, David had overall responsibility for Eastman's Legal, Corporate HSES, Product Safety & Regulatory Affairs, Sustainability, Government Relations, Aviation Services, Communications, Community Affairs, Public Policy, Privacy, Global Business Conduct, and International Trade Compliance functions, with personnel in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Prior to joining Eastman in 1995, David was with the international law firm of Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth) in their Atlanta office.

David received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Juris Doctorate from Brigham Young University, and he attended Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

David’s other public service work includes the Board of Directors of Ballad Health, the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), the Niswonger Foundation, STREAMWORKS, MATE II, Music For All, the University of Tennessee’s Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy, the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, and the Tennessee Business Court Rules Commission. David is a member of Leadership Tennessee Class III and is a Charter Member of the First Families of Tennessee.

Bobbie J. Murphy, Vice President, Regional Chief Nursing Officer, Northern Region, Ballad Health

Bobbie J. Murphy is currently serving the region of NE Tennessee in the role of Vice President, Regional Chief Nursing Officer, Northern Region, Ballad Health. She started her professional nursing journey in December of 2001 at a small community hospital in SW Michigan. From there, she relocated to a larger health system in Kalamazoo Michigan where she grew in my bedside nursing and leadership roles to the Director of Patient Care Services. In 2014, Bobbie relocated to East Tennessee where she took on the role of Director of Patient Care Services at Morristown Hamblen Hospital, Covenant Health. In November 2016 she accepted a position as the Director of Emergency & Critical Care Services at Holston Valley Medical Center, Wellmont Health System. The merger between Wellmont & Mountain States Health Alliance was on the horizon. We merged health systems and I became the Chief Nursing Officer of the Kingsport Operations including Holston Valley Medical Center & Indian Path Community Hospital. September 2019, she transitioned to her current role at Bristol Regional Medical Center.

Bobbie received her Bachelor’s degree and then ultimately her Master’s degree from Western Governors University. 

Ralph J. Schulz, President & CEO, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

Ralph was named President and Chief Executive Officer at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce on November 1, 2006, following a 30-year career in nonprofit management, marketing and fundraising. Before joining the Chamber, he spent six years as CEO of the Adventure Science Center. His career in non-profit management began when he joined the staff of Junior Achievement (JA) in 1974, spending 20 years with JA, leading chapters in Mississippi, Texas and New York. In 1990, he was named national executive vice president of JA. He returned to Nashville in 1996 to take on a similar national role with the National Federation of Independent Business.

Ralph received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

In 2001, Ralph received the Marvin Runyon Leadership Award for nonprofit turnaround. He currently serves on numerous civic and nonprofit boards including the Nashville Health Care Council, Tennessee Business Roundtable, NashvilleHealth, Music City Music Council, Nashville Predators Foundation and the Major League Soccer to Nashville advisory committee. He is a past board member of Alignment Nashville, Center for Nonprofit Management and the Board of Trustees of Father Ryan High School. He has been involved with the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee, served on the Citizens Advisory Committee for Bus Rapid Transit, MTA’s Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and the NashvilleNEXT Steering Committee. He has participated in Leadership Nashville, Leadership Middle Tennessee and Leadership Music.

Ralph and his wife, Leeanne, have four children and six grandchildren. 

Kyle Barron, Chief Community Development Officer, Greater Jackson Chamber

Dr. Kyle Barron is the Chief Community Development Officer at the Greater Jackson Chamber, in Jackson, TN, where he oversees public affairs, community development, and small businesses. Prior to this role, Dr. Barron had a career of over 17 years in community college leadership. Most recently he served as Vice President of Student Services at Jackson State Community College, focusing on the overall student experience, including academic advising, student life, and student support services.

Dr. Barron is a first-generation college student and a community college graduate, which gives him a unique perspective on the needs of many of the WGU students. He is passionate about helping students succeed and is committed to providing them with the resources and support they need to achieve their goals.

Dr. Barron holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Policy, Assessment and Evaluation from the University of Kentucky. He is also a graduate of The University of North Texas and Richland Community College. Additionally, he is a graduate of the WestStar leadership program from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

In his spare time, Dr. Barron enjoys spending time with his family, traveling the backroads of Tennessee in his Jeep, and golfing.

Dr. Barron is a dynamic and visionary leader who is committed to helping build community and improve the lives of Tennesseans.