Board of Directors

Chairman
Jim Tracy served as the Tennessee Director for Rural Development and is currently with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. With 13 years’ experience serving as Tennessee State Senator for the 14th Senatorial District, Tracy was a strong advocate for rural and agriculture issues. His ties to agriculture began in his youth when he was active in 4-H and on the family farm. He grew up in West Tennessee where his father was a county extension agent.
Tracy also has 24 years’ experience as a small business owner and early in his career, he taught Agricultural Education in high school. Jim and his family reside in Shelbyville, TN.

Vice Chairman
George Phillips, Esq. has served on the board since 2003 and was first elected as chairman in February 2007. Mr. Phillips is a member of the law firm of Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, where he concentrates his law practice in the areas of corporate and business law, communications law, labor and employment law, and commercial and business litigation. He serves as general counsel for a number of companies and represents businesses being acquired by and acquiring other businesses.
 

Treasurer
Michael N. Boner became Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Pro Tem of the Mid-South Carpenters Regional Council in February 2013. He was elected unanimously for another four years on August 3, 2013. The Council has a membership in excess of 3,000 members. Mr. Boner oversees a jurisdiction that includes Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and the panhandle of Florida. Mr. Boner is a native of Nashville and attended Trevecca College. He became a Journeyman Carpenter of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America, Local Union 223 in 1986.

Secretary
Ashley Elizabeth (Graham) Johnson has a career of writing, shaping, and crafting words and speeches for our nation’s top political figures. She believes deeply in the power of a well-written idea to move mountains and has had the honor of a lifetime serving in President George W Bush’s White House, serving Congressman Marsha Blackburn and the Tennessee 7th Congressional District, and as a speechwriter at General Services Administration. She currents works in education reform in Tennessee - the fastest improving state in the nation in education.
She served as a speechwriter for the 2012 Republican National Convention and continues to write speeches for elected officials, Fortune 500 managers, and community leaders. She was awarded the inaugural MavPAC Future 40 award for being one of the top political leaders under 40 in the county.

Member 
Lisa Janke
As the founder of Short Bark Industries, Inc. (SBI), Lisa Held Janke built an extension of her mother and father's cut and sew manufacturing operation out of the garage in her hometown of Madisonville, Tennessee after attending Bauder Fashion College. From humble beginnings, she grew a business that has been recognized regionally by Business Tennessee magazine as one of the Fast 50 Companies and is one of the Hot 100 Companies. Lisa has been named to the list of Top 40 under 40, and was recognized as Statesman of the Year by the Second Congressional District in 2007. Lisa currently serves on the Board of KLASS, and has previously served as President of the Board for the Boys and Girls Club of Monroe County.
SBI grew from a small operation in a four – car garage into the current 78,000 square-foot facility in Puerto Rico, employing 450+ associates. SBI was sold in 2014 and acquired by Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. in 2017.
Lisa utilizes her ability to build partnerships, bridge relationships and create synergy between business associates and companies to establish long-standing professional connections.
Lisa has two daughters that reside in Nashville, TN.

Member
Jai Templeton, currently serves as the University of Tennessee’s Foundation Western Region Director of Advancement for the Institute of Agriculture.  He is also a 6th generation McNairy and Hardin County farmer producing grain, cotton, cattle, hay and timber. Templeton has served as a member of the McNairy County Commission and was elected twice to the office of McNairy County Mayor.  He served as Deputy Commissioner of the TN Department of Agriculture before serving as Tennessee’s 37th Commissioner of Agriculture under Governor Bill Haslam.
 Templeton is a member of several rural development and agricultural initiatives.  He is a 1994 graduate of Union University. 

Member
Frank Lawrence, a retired Engineer.  graduated in 1975 from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering then worked in the consulting engineering field until he received his professional engineering license then returned to the family construction business. Over the following 35 years, he has designed and facilitated projects throughout the southern region of the United States.  Professional positions held include Engineering Manager, Project Manager, Vice President, and President.Lawrence retired fully in 2018. He enjoys serving others,  working with Amateur Radio, KA4FFL, spending time with my family, and his favorite hobbies which include making copper jewelry and fishing. Jai Templeton

Lawrence retired fully in 2018. He enjoys serving others,  working with Amateur Radio, KA4FFL, spending time with my family, and his favorite hobbies which include making copper jewelry and fishing. 

Member
LaTanya McAdoo is the Interim Executive Director of the Tennessee State Employee Association (TSEA) as of July 01, 2022. This is the third appointment by the TSEA Board of Directors to this position since 2015. Previously, LaTanya McAdoo has served as TSEA’s Deputy Director from 2017 to July 2022.

 From 1997 to 2015, LaTanya McAdoo served as TSEA’s Executive Administrative Assistant.  Prior to which she held various other TSEA positions such as Records Technician and Receptionist, since beginning her employment with TSEA in 1984.

 LaTanya McAdoo is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene College in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business.

Member
Commissioner Frank Strada
Frank Strada was appointed Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction by Governor Bill Lee effective January 9, 2023. Commissioner Strada previously served as the Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections where he oversaw prison operations, inmate programs, public affairs, facilities management, and financial services. He has 34 years of corrections management and law enforcement experience, including nearly 30 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Commissioner Strada provided leadership and policy direction to staff at 121 correctional institutions during his tenure with the BOP and served as a key advisor to the bureau’s director.

Commissioner Strada is a veteran of the United States Air Force.