The Dean’s Advisory Council in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has added five new members. Formed in 1975, the council comprises a group of prescient advisors who help the college implement its mission while serving as a conduit to the business world in which its graduates will work. Jennifer S. Banner, Christi W. Branscom, Shirley Pih Broadbery, David Evans and Holly Sullivan will begin their duties with the spring meeting on March 29.

Stephen L. Mangum, dean of the college and Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair, praised the broad experience and diverse backgrounds of the new additions, saying the college was fortunate to add their knowledge to the council.

“Together, Shirley, David, Christi, Holly and Jenny add a wealth of expertise to the Dean’s Advisory Council, and individually, they offer unique perspectives on business, all of which help us better prepare our students for the challenge of entering the business arena while aiding us in connecting students to professional contacts and resources,” he said. “We are fortunate to be the beneficiaries of their invaluable insight and grateful for their willingness to serve in this capacity.”

Jenny Banner is past CEO of Schaad Companies and the Schaad Family Office. Schaad Companies is a 108-year old diversified real estate company headquartered in Tennessee. She served as CEO from 2005 until early 2019. Before joining Schaad, Banner spent 23 years in public accounting practicing in the tax area with Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young) and Pershing Yoakley & Associates (now PYA). She is a director of BB&T Corporation, Uniti Group, Inc. and CDM Smith, Inc. She holds master of accountancy (HCB, ’83) and bachelor of business administration (HCB, ’81) degrees.

Christi Branscom is a native Knoxvillian with an honors degree in finance (HCB, ’87) and a law degree from the University of Memphis. Currently, she serves as the Commissioner of the Department of General Services (DGS) for the State of Tennessee. As commissioner, she oversees all divisions within DGS, including central procurement, document solutions, real estate asset management and vehicle and asset management. Previously, she was senior director of public works and later deputy to the mayor and COO of the City of Knoxville. Branscom began her career in the private sector and served as COO, general counsel and principal managing real estate broker at Partners Development for more than 25 years. She has served on the governing boards of many nonprofit agencies and arts organizations, including her long–term involvement with and support of the Cancer Support Community (CSC).

Shirley Pih Broadbery retired in 2018 after 35 years of global business experience with The Coca-Cola Company. Most recently, she was the global finance transformation director. Previously, Pih Broadbery spent 17 years in senior finance roles for various Coca-Cola international operations and in its bottling operations. She was CFO for the German Coca-Cola bottler, CFO for a joint venture bottling operation for the Nordic countries and CFO for three different divisions of Coca-Cola responsible for Southeast Europe & Gulf, Nordic & Nordic Eurasia and Southeast and West Asia. Before working for Coca-Cola, Broadbery worked with Cooper & Lybrand in Atlanta. She holds a bachelor’s in accounting (HCB, ’79) and was a CPA in the State of Georgia.

David Evans serves as regional managing partner for Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP’s South Region, and leads the firm’s public company tax outsourcing practice in Atlanta. He serves clients in multiple industries, with a tax practice focusing on business consulting, transaction planning, structure and implementation, tax consulting for public and privately held corporations and flow-through entities, estate tax and succession planning. He is a CPA in the states of Georgia and Louisiana, serves on several committees and boards, including Haslam’s Management Advisory Committee, St. Jude’s Recovery Center’s Advisory Committee and Central Atlanta Progress’ Board of Directors and holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s (HCB, ’94, ’95) in accounting.

Holly Sullivan is the director of worldwide economic development at Amazon. In 2017, she was entrusted with leading a team to evaluate 238 bids to create a $5 billion second corporate headquarters with 50,000 jobs. She has more than 20 years of experience in economic development, most recently as president and CEO of the Montgomery Business Development Corporation in Maryland. She also formerly led economic development organizations in the Nashville region. Sullivan received a bachelor of arts and a master’s of science in urban and regional planning (’94, ’98) from the University of Tennessee.

The Dean’s Advisory Council plays a vital role in guiding the college as it continually strives to improve its performance and reputation as a national leader in management research, education and practice.

Visit the Dean’s Advisory Council webpage for a full list of current and lifetime members.