Bredesen Appoints Ethics Panel 07/01/2005 Governor Phil Bredesen today named 11 Tennesseans to serve on a new citizens’ panel to review and provide recommendations on the issue of ethics in state government. “I want us to take a comprehensive look at our ethics laws and search for changes which could be made to help protect the public against what we experienced at the end of this legislative session,” said Bredesen. “I’m committed to doing everything I can to restore Tennesseans’ trust in state government, and I’m confident this advisory panel will work hard in the months ahead to provide some meaningful feedback and viable options on how we can work together to meet that goal.” Bredesen expects to have completed all appointments to the 12-member advisory panel in the coming days and will then formalize the group through Executive Order, outlining the group’s responsibilities, timeline and scope of work. The following Tennesseans have agreed to serve on the panel: Ben Atchley Ben Atchley of Knoxville served in the state senate for 28 years until his retirement in 2004. At the time of his retirement, Atchley was the Senate Republican leader, a position he held for 18 years. Among his numerous services Atchley was a member of the Advisory Council on Government Ethics Center, a division of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. W.J. Michael Cody Michael Cody served as the Attorney General of the State of Tennessee from 1984 to 1988. Previously, Cody was the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 1977 to 1981. Cody is the author of several books, including Honest Government, an Ethics Guide for Public Service. Cody is currently a partner at the law firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC in Memphis. Colleen Conway-Welch Colleen Conway-Welch is the dean of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing. Conway-Welch is on numerous not-for-profit local, state, national and international boards and committees dealing with health care and nursing. She is on the board of directors of several publicly traded corporations in the health care and financial industries and is also a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science. Veronica Coleman-Davis Veronica Coleman-Davis is the founder of the National Institute for Law and Equity (NILE), a non-profit think tank dealing with prevention of crime. Coleman-Davis is a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Juvenile Court referee and a Public Defender and was founder of the first all–female law firm in Memphis. Coleman-Davis is a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Tennessee Health Service Center. Rosetta Miller-Perry Rosetta Miller-Perry is the president and publisher of the Tennessee Tribune and Contempora Magazine. Miller-Perry is the founder and a former president of the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. Paul Neely Paul Neely is the former publisher of the Chattanooga Times. Mr. Neely is active in the Chattanooga community and is a past chairman and a current board member of United Way of Greater Chattanooga. Neely is the Governor’s appointee to the Court of the Judiciary. He also serves on the board of trustees for Williams College, and is a former member of the Commission on the Future of the Tennessee Judicial System. Dr. James M. Porch James M. Porch is the executive director–treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, composed of almost 3,000 congregations in Tennessee. Porch acts as the representative of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and other Baptist organizations and denominations. The Baptist History and Heritage Society have honored him for his service. Lyle Reid Lyle Reid is a former Tennessee State Supreme Court Justice. Justice Reid served on the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1990 to 1998, serving as Chief Justice from 1990 to 1994. During his career, Justice Reid has served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, County Attorney for Haywood County, Assistant Attorney General, deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, and as a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Justice Reid currently practices law in the law firm of J. Houston Gordon in Covington. Bishop Joseph Walker, III Walker came to Nashville to earn his master of divinity degree from Vanderbilt University and then a doctor of ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Walker began his pastorate in 1992 at Mt. Zion with 175 members. Mt. Zion has a congregation of more than 15,000 congregations that convenes at three locations in the Nashville area. He is the founder JWW ministries, the author of three books, and a member of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission and is a board member of the Nashville Housing Fund. Larry Wallace Larry Wallace is the former Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He currently serves as Vice President for External Affairs for Tennessee Wesleyan College. Wallace was appointed director in 1992 by Governor Ned McWherter and served until 2003 under Governors Don Sundquist and Phil Bredesen. He was twice elected Sheriff of McMinn County, has served as Colonel and Commanding Officer of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety. Alan Yuspeh Alan Yuspeh is the Senior Vice President for Ethics, Compliance and Corporate Responsibility for HCA, the nation’s largest health care company. Yuspeh is a nationally recognized expert in corporate ethics. Prior to joining HCA, Yuspeh was a partner in the Washington, D. C., law firm of Howery & Simon. Yuspeh also served as General Counsel to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and Chief of Staff to Senator Bennett Johnston of Louisiana. Bredesen has asked former State Senator Ben Atchley and former Tennessee Attorney General W.J. Michael Cody to co-chair the panel.