UT System President Randy Boyd
Meet UT President Randy Boyd, a visionary leader committed to student success, innovation and making this the Greatest Decade in UT history.
Contact the Office of the President
Have a question, media inquiry or speaking request? Get in touch!
Jamie Blessigner
Executive Assistant
865-974-2241
Melissa Tindell
Media Contact
865-974-0741
About the UT President
Randy Boyd has served as UT’s 26th president since November 2018 and serves as the chief executive officer of the statewide UT System.
The UT System includes campuses in Chattanooga, Pulaski and Martin; the Health Science Center in Memphis; and the Institute of Public Service. Additionally, it includes the flagship campus in Knoxville, which is also comprised of the Space Institute in Tullahoma and the statewide Institute of Agriculture. The UT System also manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership, where Boyd serves as chairman.
In 1991, Boyd founded Knoxville-based Radio Systems Corporation (now PetSafe Brands), a company that produces over 4,000 pet-related products under the brand names PetSafe, Invisible Fence, ScoopFree and SportDOG. The company employs more than 1,400 people with offices in six countries around the world. Boyd also owns Boyd Sports, LLC, which owns six minor league baseball teams, including the Tennessee Smokies.
It’s the honor of my life to be able to serve in this role. I’m a big believer in the word serendipity. Great things that happen to you that are unexpected, things that are better than you had planned. I never really expected to be in this role. The day that I said I would be willing to serve as the interim (president), that morning I woke up not ever thinking I would be the president of a university, let alone my alma mater, let alone the university that’s the land grant of the state that I love. So to be able to get this opportunity to serve both my university and my state all at the same time is the greatest blessing I’ve ever had.”
Randy Boyd, UT System President
In 2007, Boyd began a journey transitioning from entrepreneur and businessman to full-time public servant. Boyd is a founder and chairman of tnAchieves, a nonprofit which has helped send more than 133,000 students to community college free of tuition and fees. This success led then-Governor Bill Haslam to invite him to serve as special advisor on higher education in 2013. During his tenure, he is credited with being the architect of the Drive to 55 and the Tennessee Promise. In 2015, Gov. Haslam recruited him back to serve as commissioner of economic and community development. During his tenure, his team recruited 52,000 new jobs and $9 billion in new investment for the state. He also founded and co-chaired the governor’s Rural Task Force and chaired the Governor’s Workforce Sub-Cabinet. Randy and his wife Jenny have dedicated their lives to giving back. In 2018, the couple formed the Boyd Foundation to further promote youth education, mental health, the arts and animal welfare. Among the Foundation’s many philanthropic commitments is the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research and the Boyd Venture Challenge seed grant program for student entrepreneurs, both through the Haslam College of Business at UT Knoxville.
Boyd is the first in his family to graduate from college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on industrial management from UT Knoxville. He also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies with a focus on foreign policy from the University of Oklahoma.
When not working for UT, Boyd enjoys running and has run 91 half marathons and 53 full marathons, including one in Antarctica. But his favorite time is spent as Jenny’s husband of 40 years, father to his two sons, and being Poppi to his two granddaughters.
