Two finalists selected for next president of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis. Campus public interviews set for April 4.

The search advisory committee assisting with the search for the next president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Memphis has selected two finalists for the position, both of whom will participate in public interviews on the campus Tuesday, April 4, the next step in the selection process.

The finalists are: 

• Dr. Patrick D. U. Davis, Sr., currently the vice president of operations at TCAT Dickson. He holds a doctor of education in educational leadership and policy analysis from East Tennessee State University, master of arts in education curriculum and instruction design and master of business administration in technology management from the University of Phoenix, a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and an associate’s degree in communication from Jackson State Community College.
• Dr. Gwendolyn Sutton, currently the vice president of TCAT Memphis. She holds a doctor of education in leadership and professional practice from Trevecca Nazarene University, master of business administration in human resource management from Bethel University, a bachelor’s degree in office systems technology from Mississippi State University, and received a computer information systems diploma from TCAT Covington.

Their complete resumes and other information about the search are posted on the Tennessee Board of Regents website at https://www.tbr.edu/hr/executivesearches/president-tcat-memphis. 

The April 4 campus interviews with the finalists are open to the public and scheduled to start at 9 a.m. CT with Gwen Sutton, followed by Patrick Davis at 10 a.m. The interviews are scheduled for Room A101, at TCAT Memphis, 550 Alabama Ave, Memphis.

The forums will also be streamed via Microsoft Teams, with access information provided at the link above.

The next president will succeed Dr. Roland Rayner, who retired Feb. 28 after more than 32 years of service in the TBR system. He led TCAT Memphis since 2009, first as interim president and then as the president since 2010. Dr. Rayner previously served as assistant director, student affairs manager, financial aid coordinator, and evening school coordinator at the college. 

After the campus forums, Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings will review input from the campus community and public and then make a recommendation to the Board for a single candidate. The Board will consider the chancellor’s recommendation and appointment of the next president at a future meeting.

The board approved criteria for the next president during a meeting Oct. 31, 2022. A search advisory committee, chaired by Board Vice Chair Emily J. Reynolds, was appointed to assist in the search. The committee also included Regents Mark George and Nisha Powers, representatives of the campus community, and the local business and civic communities.

TCAT Memphis is one of the 24 public Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, which, along with the state’s 13 community colleges, are governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents.

More information about the college is available at the college's website:  https://tcatmemphis.edu/