• Request Info
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give
  • Request Info
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give

Search

  • A-Z Index
  • Map

Baker School

Baker Blog
  • Overview
    • History
    • Board
    • Howard Baker Archives
    • Facilities & Reservations
  • People
    • Baker School Faculty
    • Baker School Staff
    • CETEP Faculty & Experts
    • NSFA Faculty & Experts
  • Undergraduate
    • Major
    • Minor
    • 5-Year Program
    • Baker LLC
    • Prospective Students
    • Admitted Students
    • Advising & Resources
    • Certificates
  • Graduate
    • MPP
    • MPA
    • Capstone Projects
    • Graduate Certificates
    • Dual Degree Program
    • Online Degree Program
  • Centers
    • Institute of American Civics
    • Energy, Transportation & Environmental Policy
      • Energy and Environment Forums
    • National Security & Foreign Affairs
  • News & Events
    • Events
      • The Dedication of the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs
      • Election 2024: Economics in Focus
      • Civic Leadership Lecture Series: The Myth of Left and Right
      • Civic Leadership Lecture Series: The Truth-Seeking Mission of the University
      • Election 2024: Foreign Policy in Focus
      • Election 2024: Supreme Court in Focus
      • Civic Leadership Lecture Series: Is the American Dream Dying?
      • Fall 2023 Tuesday in the Toyota Events
    • News
  • Student Engagement
    • Travel Programs
    • Professional Development
      • Baker Mentoring Program
    • Student Organizations
    • Student Research
    • Baker Ambassadors
  • Podcast
    • Season 1
    • Season 2
    • Season 3
    • Season 4
    • Season 5
    • Season 6
A photo of Bill Haslam
Phil Bredesen and Bill Haslam in a recording studio for their podcast You Might Be Right

Bill Haslam

Bill Haslam is the former governor of the State of Tennessee. He was first elected in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014 with the largest victory in modern Tennessee history.

Under his leadership, Tennessee became recognized as a national leader in education, economic development, efficient and effective government, and fiscal strength.

During his two terms as governor, Tennessee students were the fastest improving in the country in academic achievement, and high school graduation rates reached an all-time high. Tennessee became the first state in the nation to offer high school graduates and adults two years of community or technical college free of mandatory tuition and fees as part of the governor’s Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect programs.

Approximately 450,000 private sector jobs were created during his time in office, and Tennessee’s unemployment rate reached the lowest level recorded in state history.

Haslam proposed and implemented significant legislative initiatives, including working with the Tennessee General Assembly to simultaneously pass the largest tax cut in Tennessee history and improve the state’s transportation infrastructure. His administration right-sized state government while building a customer-centric approach, cut more than $575 million in recurring spending, balanced the budget every year, more than tripled the state’s savings account, and helped the state earn a triple AAA bond rating.

In 2003, Haslam ran successfully for mayor of Knoxville and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2007. As mayor, he balanced eight consecutive city budgets, tripled the Rainy Day Fund, focused city government on providing services in an efficient manner, helped found key education initiatives, and recruited and retained thousands of jobs to Knoxville.

Since leaving office, Haslam has returned to the private sector and continues to be engaged on many local and national issues. He is currently the Chair of the Wilson Center and serves on the National Board of Directors for Teach for America and Young Life Board. In addition, he is the Co-Chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy.

Haslam is also the author of Faithful Presence: The Promise and Peril of Faith in the public Square.

Haslam and his wife, Crissy, have been married for 40 years and are blessed with three children and ten grandchildren.

Sign up to receive You Might Be Right via email

“I increasingly believe that the essence of leadership ... is to be an eloquent listener.”
—Howard H. Baker Jr.

Request Info

Give

Podcast

Baker School

1640 Cumberland Avenue
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3340
Phone: 865-974-0931
Fax: 865-974-3889
Email: bakerschool@utk.edu

X Icon    Facebook Icon    LinkedIn Icon    Instagram Icon    YouTube Icon

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
865-974-1000

The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System and partner in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway.

ADA Privacy Safety Title IX