When Governor Bredesen took office in January 2003, he invited the Economic Council on Women to submit names of qualified women to be considered for state boards and commission vacancies. To meet this need, the Council created a process to identify, recruit and recommend qualified female candidates for administration boards and commission posts.

The Council’s most notable contribution to this effort has been the appointment of Sue Braly to the Land Surveyors Examiner Board and Elaina Spann to the Home Improvement Commission Licensing Board. Both women are the first females ever to be appointed to either board. These women learned of various open positions on state boards and commissions through the Council’s statewide communication and submitted their names for consideration. Both were appointed by Governor Bredesen.

The Council’s Boards and Commissions process is explained. The Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions sends the Council’s office a monthly report of vacancies on state boards and commissions. The Council utilizes its statewide database of women advocates to announce the monthly vacancies and encourages qualified women to apply for the vacancy. Women send the required documents to the Council’s Board and Commissions Chair, Yvonne Wood, who then prepares a letter to the Governor, including the pertinent data.

In no event shall the Council be obligated to conduct any investigation of any applicant or nominee, including contacting any references. If a Council member is personally acquainted with an applicant or nominee that may be indicated. Otherwise, the Council shall not be responsible for vetting or determining the qualifications of any applicant or nominee. Further, it is acknowledged that the Governor’s office is likely to receive applications and nominations from other sources, and that it has the discretion to appoint whomever it chooses for a position. The Governor is under no obligation to appoint someone whom the Council recommends, and may appoint someone that the Council has not recommended. The Executive Director will maintain at the Council office a file/spreadsheet reflecting the following: name of woman recommended by the Council, address, phone number, date sent to the Governor, and date appointed by the governor to a board/commission, and a hard copy of all letters and bios/resumes. This information shall be reported to the Council on a quarterly basis.

The Council has recently expanded its outreach on this topic through the development of a statewide database of women and advocates. The Council utilizes this tool to communicate vacancies to thousands of women in every part of Tennessee. This effort will lead to more diversity on state boards and commissions posts, in terms of gender, ethnicity and geographic location.