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The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the University of Tennessee, overseeing the educational and operational activities of the statewide University system.

The 26-member board is comprised of both five ex officio and 21 appointed members. Appointed seats include one voting and one nonvoting faculty, one voting and one nonvoting students, and 17 congressional district and county representatives.

The governor serves as an ex officio voting member of the board and, by election, as chair. Both the chair and vice chair are elected at the annual meeting and serve for two-year terms. Other ex officio members include the president of the University, the Commissioner of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Education for the State of Tennessee, and the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (a nonvoting seat).

The University’s vice president and general counsel serves as secretary of the University and principal staff liaison to the Board of Trustees.

Standing committees of the Board include: Academic Affairs and Student Success, Advancement and Public Affairs, Audit, Executive and Compensation, Finance and Administration, Trusteeship, and Research, Outreach, and Economic Development. The president serves as a voting member of the board and as a non-voting member of all committees, except the Audit Committee.