Spring Commencement 2019

John C. Compton

Undergraduate Speaker

John C. Compton is a partner at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger businesses. He became a CD&R partner in 2015 after serving as an operating advisor since 2013. Compton is a 29-year veteran and former president of PepsiCo Inc. He currently serves as chairman of High Ridge Brands, TruGreen, American Greetings Corporation, and Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare. Compton’s career at PepsiCo started at Frito-Lay in 1983. In 2002, after serving in positions of increasing responsibility in a variety of operational and sales capacities, he was appointed vice chairman and president of Frito-Lay North America. Compton went on to serve as CEO of PepsiCo Americas Foods, which included Frito-Lay North America, Quaker Oats brands, and all of PepsiCo’s Latin American food and snack businesses. He became global president of PepsiCo in 2011. He serves on the board of First Horizon National Corporation and was previously on the board of Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. In 2009, he was named a CEO of Tomorrow by BusinessWeek. Compton received a BS in finance from the University of Tennessee, where he is a lifetime member of the Haslam College of Business Advisory Council. In 2011, Compton was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award, the University of Tennessee’s highest alumni honor. He currently serves as chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee System.

Susan Foard

Graduate Speaker

Susan Foard began her professional career in 1985 with the tax division at Rhea & Ivy, P.C., in Memphis. In 1987, she began her career at Pugh CPAs. There, she rose through the ranks, and she now serves as president and chairperson of the board of directors.

One of Knoxville’s longest-established firms, Pugh CPAs marks its 50th anniversary this year. From 1969 to 2019, its business has grown to include specialized services in audit and assurance, tax planning and compliance, business valuation and litigation support, small business services and consulting services. The company supports a diverse range of clients, from auto retailers to nonprofit entities, from wholesalers to government organizations. At Pugh CPAs, Foard focuses on providing consulting, tax planning and tax preparation services for closely held businesses, individuals, estates and trusts.

Thanks to her years of experience and wealth of knowledge, Foard is often called upon to deliver addresses for seminars and public meetings. The topics she covers include leadership, strategic business relationships and various technical topics within her tax specializations.

In addition to her professional work, Foard has served in various capacities with both professional and civic organizations. These include the University of Tennessee Alumni Board of Directors and UT’s Chancellor's Associates, the advisory and planning committee for UT’s Singleton B. Wolfe Memorial Tax Conference, Knoxville’s YWCA Foundation Board of Directors, the American Society of Women Accountants (now AFWA), the Board of Directors of the Knoxville Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Helen Ross McNabb Center Board, and Knoxville’s The Next Door (TND) Advisory Board. She also was a member of the Leadership Knoxville Class of 2019 and was honored to be selected as a 2016 YWCA Tribute to Women Finalist.

Foard holds a bachelor’s in business administration, with a major in accounting (HCB, ’84), and a master’s of accountancy with a concentration in taxation (HCB, ’85). While she earned her master’s, she also worked as graduate teaching assistant in undergraduate accounting. She is proud that both of her children attend UT. Her daughter, Julianne Foard, is a Haslam MAcc student in this spring’s graduating class, and her son, Jake Foard, is a sophomore in mechanical engineering.