Dr. Lisa Piercey named to ETSU Board of Trustees

Published 12:33 pm Thursday, October 13, 2022

Dr. Lisa Piercey, a pediatrician and one of three Quillen College of Medicine Outstanding Alumni for 2022 who served as the 14th commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), has been appointed to the East Tennessee State University Board of Trustees. Gov. Bill Lee announced the appointment earlier this month.

“Dr. Piercey led the state of Tennessee’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and her commitment to public service during an unprecedented global crisis streamlined the response to protect the health and safety of all Tennesseans,” said ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland. “A Quillen College of Medicine alumna who became the youngest woman appointed as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, Dr. Piercey’s many accomplishments have left an enduring mark that showcases her determination to improve the quality of life and access to health care of those in our communities and beyond. We are deeply grateful to welcome her to ETSU’s Board of Trustees.”

Preceding her public service, Piercey spent a decade in health systems operations, most recently as executive vice president of West Tennessee Healthcare. In addition to volunteering on multiple community and non-profit boards, Piercey has served on the American Hospital Association’s Small and Rural Hospital Governance Council, the Joint Commission Critical Access Hospital Advisory Group and the Tennessee Center for Health Workforce Development Board. Since leaving state government, Piercey has launched Tristela Strategies, an independent advisory firm for health care operators and investors.

“ETSU plays a pivotal role in workforce development throughout our state, particularly in medicine and health-related professions,” Piercey said. “I am deeply honored to serve my alma mater, alongside its esteemed trustees and executive team, to help our students achieve their academic and professional goals.”

Piercey said she originally never intended to do anything outside clinical medicine — and she still sees patients one afternoon each week in her subspecialty field of child abuse pediatrics — but the transition to her new role on the investment side of health care has been natural thanks to a family full of entrepreneurs and business owners.

“The pandemic really exposed the acute need to innovate health care delivery to meet the changing needs of both patients and providers,” she said. “Tennessee has the private sector resources, expertise and infrastructure to lead the nation in this transformation, and it is exhilarating to support founders and investors in this impactful work.”

The ETSU Board of Trustees was authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2015 and held its first meeting in March 2017.

Piercey and her husband, David, who is also an ETSU alum, are West Tennessee natives and have four children.