SURVIVING ALUMNI IN ACTION
Tennessee’s captains navigating a storm of crisis Lipscomb alumni are leading the state’s pandemic response in public health and economic recovery When Dr. Lisa Piercey (’98) and Mark Ezell (’82) assumed their respective roles as commissioner of health and commissioner of tourism in Gov. Bill Lee’s administration in January 2019 neither could have predicted that they would be leading the state’s response to a global pandemic and its economic devastation just over a year later. Piercey has played key roles in Tennessee’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic since the state’s first positive case was confirmed on March 5 and has worked around-the-clock in the trenches since that time. “The heavy responsibility is sobering and humbling, especially knowing our decisions impact so many families, including my own. Every day brings exhilaration, frustration, fascination and exhaustion, so it demands a leadership approach that centers around flexibility, transparency and grace,” said Piercey. Ezell was appointed in April to lead Tennessee’s Economic Recovery Group, which developed a multistage guideline for businesses in Tennessee to reopen just four weeks after a statewide stay-at-home mandate was issued. Thirty community and business leaders were gathered to develop the reopening plan. “We are always re-evaluating. One thing my grandfather (who established
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Nashville’s long-time business Purity Dairies) said, ‘There is always a better way. Try to find it every day,’” said Ezell, who worked at Purity for more than 30 years. From the time Piercey was a child, she has been intrigued by science and has felt a calling to serve others. Those passions led the West Tennessee native to medical school and a career in health care. “I have always enjoyed STEM-based learning, and the human body simply intrigues me. When that intellectual pursuit is applied to the spiritual and emotional desire to serve my fellow man, it doesn’t feel like work at all,” she said. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Lipscomb before heading to East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine for medical school and pediatrics residency training. Piercey began her health care career as a pediatrician at the Jackson Clinic in Jackson, Tennessee. Following that, Piercey spent a decade in health systems operations, most recently as executive vice president of West Tennessee Healthcare, a public, notfor-profit health system with more than 7,000 employees servicing 22 counties. Piercey is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both general pediatrics and in the specialty field of
Lisa Piercey (’98), Tennessee Commissioner of Health. Photos, Tennessee Photo Services.
child abuse pediatrics. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree. Piercey says the opportunity to serve the state of Tennessee as commissioner of health was an unexpected honor. “Well, it was certainly something I never expected,” admits Piercey. “However, during the years I was managing several rural hospitals, it quickly became evident that, in today’s health care climate, successful administrators need to understand and engage in public policy and the legislative process. The exposure within that arena positioned me to engage with Gov. Lee during his transition into office, and we found commonality in our faith-based, practical approach to ensuring access to high quality and affordable health care to all Tennesseans.” Serving alongside Piercey in the Tennessee Department of Health are three fellow Lipscomb alumni: Brent Culberson (’05, MA ’10) is assistant commissioner for health licensure and regulation;
