Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature

The modern version of the official seal was designed by Tonya Kelley from The University of Memphis.

Abbreviation| TISL
Formation| 1966
Headquarters| Nashville, Tennessee
Membership| Every accredited institution of higher education in Tennessee

Governor

| Kyah Powers

Lt. Governor

| Elijah Tidwell

Speaker of the House

| William Bowen

Chief Justice

| Amelia Hart

Board of directors

| Jacob Baggett, Executive Director
Website| www.TISLonline.org

The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) is an annual legislative session conducted by college students from across Tennessee, providing students over with an education about Tennessee state government and a channel to express their opinions on state issues.

This model legislature convenes in the State Capitol for four days, typically in November. It consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives, which debate bills that are produced wholly by the students. The Supreme Court consists of judges and lawyers participating in the Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge (AMC3). Students also have the option to work as lobbyists or members of the media.

During each General Assembly, officers are elected to serve on the Executive Council that governs the organization for the following year. The Executive Council chooses from ten bills that have passed in both the House and the Senate and designates them as Priority Legislation to be presented to the Tennessee General Assembly. Many of TISL's bills have become state law.

## History

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The history of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature is a story of students taking the initiative and providing leadership to organize themselves for learning about state government and expressing their views on state issues.

In 1966, Dr. Douglas Carlisle, a political science professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, approached the Student Government Association with the concept of TISL. Dr. Carlisle was familiar with similar programs in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Events of the 1960s were important to TISL's founding. President John F. Kennedy's emphasis on student activism motivated young people across the nation before he was assassinated in 1963. His death heightened the resolve of many students to participate and make a difference. Important federal laws under President Lyndon Johnson such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other far-reaching programs were focusing attention on the role of government. Student activism over the Vietnam War was growing.

It was also an exciting time in Tennessee politics. In Nashville, the Tennessee General Assembly was demonstrating the first stirrings of independence after decades under the control of the governor's office. The 1962 Baker v. Carr decision, a Tennessee case of national significance, led to the first redistricting of the legislature since 1900. This, in turn, produced a flood of new state senators and state representatives to change the political dynamic.

The legislature also began annual sessions after voters approved a constitutional amendment changing the legislative calendar. Consequently, Tennesseans were paying more attention to their state government than they'd paid in a long time. Republican Howard Baker's election to the U.S. Senate in 1966 introduced two-party competition for statewide offices and raised interest in politics.

The UTK student most intrigued with the TISL concept was Phillip Moffitt. Together, Moffitt and Dr. Carlisle contacted other student government associations across the state. At Vanderbilt University, they caught the interest of student Charles Bone. Bone and Moffitt were to become the first and second governors of TISL.

Records suggest that an organizational meeting occurred on the Vanderbilt campus in the spring or summer of 1966. The 1st General Assembly occurred in the fall at the State Capitol. Since that time, TISL has convened in nearly every academic year. The General Assembly has been displaced from the Capitol occasionally, usually because of construction. It has sometimes met in the auditorium of the War Memorial Building and in committee rooms of the Legislative Plaza.

The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature Foundation was incorporated in 1976 under TISL Governor David Lillard Jr. and received a 501(c)(3) classification from the Internal Revenue Service a year later as a further result of Lillard's work.

In 2014, the record for most colleges in attendance was broken. With 43 colleges and universities in attendance, the 45th General Assembly of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature was the largest group of students to attend the conference.

## Officers

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### Executive Council

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The ten-member Executive Council manages TISL throughout the year and prepares for the next General Assembly. Officers are ambassadors for TISL, which means they frequently call on other campuses, university administrators, and state officials. Officers’ duties and responsibilities are enumerated in Article V of the TISL Constitution.

The Executive Council consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate, Attorney General, Lobbying Director, Communications Director, and Chief Justice of the Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court.

The current officers were elected at the 55th General Assembly to serve a one-year term. The current officers are:[1]

Position  | Office Holder  | School Name

|
|

Governor  | Kyah Powers  | East Tennessee State University
Lieutenant Governor  | Elijah Tidwell  | Tennessee Technological University
Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate  | Carmen Witt  | Tennessee Technological University
Speaker of the House  | William Bowen  | University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Speaker Pro Tempore of the House  | Harrison Simpson  | Tennessee Technological University
Secretary of State  | Grace Olson  | Sewanee: The University of the South
State Treasurer  | Milind Chaturvedi  | East Tennessee State University
Attorney General  | Douglas Ford  | Carson-Newman University
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court  | TBD  | TBD
Lobbying Director  | Kelsey Hewitt  | Tennessee Technological University
Communications Director  | Macy Miller  | East Tennessee State University

### Support Staff

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In addition to the Executive Council, various other officers and support staff are appointed to help the Executive Council with the management of the different components of TISL. The Speakers of each chamber appoint a Chief Clerk to oversee the flow of legislation and keep records while in session. There is also a Deputy Clerk (and in some cases an Assistant Clerk) who help the Chief Clerk in his/her duties. Both the Secretary of State and State Treasurer appoint Deputies and Assistants to assist them in their responsibilities. The Supreme Court justices appoint a Chief Clerk and Marshall to oversee paperwork and records of the AMC3 competition. There are also a number of law clerks and courtroom clerks that help the AMC3 program function. A Director of Lobbying is appointed to coordinate that program, as well as a Media Director to oversee the media component. The Governor is assisted by a Chief of Staff and Cabinet, who advise him on bills and convey the Governor's wishes to Senators and Representatives.

## TISL Governors: Past & Present

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The Governors of TISL and the schools they represented are listed below. The incumbent governor is Kyah Powers, and is indicated below in bold.

Year  | Governor's Name  | Governor's School

|
|

1966-1967  | Phillip Moffitt | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
1967-1968  | Charles Bone  | Vanderbilt University
1968-1969  | Jonah Gray  | East Tennessee State University
1969-1970  | George DeJarnatt  | Vanderbilt University
1970-1971  | Chad McCullough  | Tennessee Technological University
1971-1972  | Frank Clement Jr.  | The University of Memphis
1972-1973  | David Fleming  | Tennessee Technological University
1973-1974  | Stephen Harris  | East Tennessee State University
1974-1975  | Roy Herron | The University of Tennessee, Martin
1975-1976  | Philip Sanford  | Austin Peay State University
1976-1977  | David Lillard Jr.  | The University of Memphis
1977-1978  | Jeff Wilson  | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
1978-1979  | Douglas Littlejohn  | The University of Memphis
1979-1980  | David Mason  | Austin Peay State University
1980-1981  | Kem Morgan  | The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
1981-1982  | Randy Wilmore  | Tennessee Technological University
1982-1983  | Tony Yates  | Middle Tennessee State University
1983-1984  | Mark Ross  | Middle Tennessee State University
1984-1985  | Mark Ross  | Middle Tennessee State University
1985-1986  | Nathan Poss  | Cumberland University
1986-1987  | Glenn Keesee  | Vanderbilt University
1987-1988  | Alan Crone  | The University of Memphis
1988-1989  | David Sanford  | Lincoln Memorial University
1990-1991  | Kevin O'Connor  | The University of Memphis
1991-1992  | Mark L. Sluder  | Tennessee Technological University
1992-1993  | Mark L. Sluder  | Tennessee Technological University
1993-1994  | Tre Hargett | The University of Memphis
1994-1995  | Steven L. Denney  | Tennessee Technological University
1995-1996  | Russell A. Humphrey  | The University of Memphis
1996-1997  | Elizabeth G. Millsaps  | Middle Tennessee State University
1997-1998  | Jeffrey F. Wisdom  | The University of Memphis
1998-1999  | Ashley Woods  | Walters State Community College
1999-2000  | Emily Cline  | The University of Memphis
2000-2001  | Lee Scott  | Lambuth University
2001-2002  | Josh Trent  | Union University
2002-2003  | Elizabeth Shelley  | The University of Memphis
2005-2006  | Joshua Clarke  | Union University
2006-2007  | Amir Bahreini  | Cleveland State Community College & The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2007-2008  | Kenneth Taylor  | The University of Memphis
2008-2009  | Micah Roeder  | Union University
2009-2010  | Gian Gozum  | The University of Memphis
2010-2011  | Cory Higdon  | The University of Memphis
2011-2012  | Matthew Meinel  | Vanderbilt University
2012-2013  | Alexander R. Brown  | Chattanooga State Community College
2013-2014  | Jamie Arnett  | The University of Tennessee, Martin & Austin Peay State University
2014-2015  | Brandon Chrisman  | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2015-2016  | John Domanski  | The University of Tennessee, Martin
2016-2017  | Kara Gilliam  | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2017-2018  | James Matthew Wyatt  | Union University
2018-2019  | Faith Udobong  | Rhodes College
2019-2020  | Hunter McCloud  | The University of Tennessee, Martin
2020-2021  | Matthew Kenny  | Rhodes College
2021-2022  | Preston George  | Middle Tennessee State University
2022-2023  | Paige Foster  | University of Memphis
2023-2024  | Aiden Graybeal  | East Tennessee State University
2024-2025 | Kyah Powers | East Tennessee State University

## Notable TISL Alumni

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Several alumni of the TISL program have gone into government and public serve in Tennessee and other states.

Name  | Notes

|

Jeff Bivins | Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice
Mike Faulk | Tennessee Circuit Court Judge
Tennessee State Senator
Tre Hargett | Tennessee Secretary of State
Roy Herron | Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party
Tennessee State Senator
Tennessee State Representative
Russell Humphrey  | Chief Clerk of the Tennessee Senate
Mike Kernell | Tennessee State Representative
Holly Kirby | Tennessee Supreme Court Justice
David Lillard  | Tennessee State Treasurer
Ron Lollar | Tennessee State Representative
Phillip Moffitt | Cofounder, author, executive
Doug Overbey | United States Attorney
Tennessee State Senator
Tennessee State Representative
Tony Shipley | Tennessee State Representative

## References

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1. ^ "TISL | DAY ON THE HILL". TISL. Retrieved 2020-12-04.

## External links

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* The Official TISL Website
* Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court
* Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge