Philip N. Bredesen

Philip Bredesen served as Governor of Tennessee from 2003 until 2011. His time as governor was marked by strong fiscal management, advancements in education and health care, and successful economic development initiatives, including recruiting Volkswagen’s U.S. manufacturing operations to Tennessee, and obtaining multi-billion-dollar investments in alternative energy. He is also credited with acquiring and preserving 350,000 acres of ecologically sensitive land. Bredesen served as Mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999, and is particularly credited for his success in downtown revitalization, including recruiting the NFL Tennessee Titans and the NHL Predators. He rebuilt and expanded the library system, including an award-winning new downtown main library, added substantially to the parks system and built numerous new public schools. Prior to his time in public office, Bredesen was a businessman and entrepreneur. He is best known for starting in his home a health care management business that within a decade became a successful public company, traded on the NYSE. He was also the founder of The Land Trust for Tennessee and Nashville’s Table. He is the author of Fresh Medicine: How to Fix Re- form and Build a Sustainable Health Care System. He is a frequent speaker to national audiences on health care, political leadership and other topics. Bredesen was elected to the American Academy in 2012 and is a member of the Academy Trust, the Committee on Anti-Racism, and the Development and Communications Committee. He is a member of the Academy’s Commission on Accelerating Climate Action and Co-Chair of the Board Chair Selection Committee. He previously served on The Lincoln Project and the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences.