Dr. Richard Rhoda
Director of the Center for Community College Leadership, ETSU
Richard G. Rhoda retired in 2014 as executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission after serving in that role for 17 years. He devoted more than 40 years to higher education in Tennessee, beginning his career with the Tennessee Board of Regents as a graduate student. Over time, he held leadership roles at multiple institutions, including administrative positions at Tennessee State University and senior staff responsibilities with the Tennessee Board of Regents. He also served in several interim leadership roles, including president of Nashville State Community College and Austin Peay State University, as well as chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents. In addition, he taught at Vanderbilt University as both a full-time and adjunct professor.
During his tenure at THEC, Dr. Rhoda chaired the legislative committee that designed the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program, assumed executive responsibility for the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, and played a key role in the design and implementation of the Complete College Tennessee Act of 2010 and the Drive to 55 initiative. Upon retirement, he was named executive director emeritus of THEC.
In his post-retirement work, Dr. Rhoda serves as director of the East Tennessee State University Center for Community College Leadership and continues to teach as an adjunct professor. He also served as interim dean of the ETSU Clemmer College from 2016 to 2017. As part of the Center’s work through EDWorks, Dr. Rhoda has collaborated with colleagues across multiple institutions on a range of initiatives focused on student success and institutional alignment. Notably, the Center participated in a credit mobility project funded by a grant from the Ascendium Foundation to ETSU. This project brought together ETSU, two community colleges, two Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs), and three private universities to improve consistency in policies and practices related to awarding transfer and nontraditional credit.
Dr. Rhoda earned a B.A. in History, M.A. in Education, and Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University. He currently chairs the board of directors of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee and serves on the Nashville State Community College Foundation Board and the Equal Chance for Education board of directors.
Dr. Rhoda has also recently served as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs at Volunteer State Community College, continuing his long-standing commitment to leadership and collaboration in higher education.
Dr. Jill Channing
Assistant Professor
Dr. Jill Channing serves as an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and Associate Director of the Center for Community College Leadership at East Tennessee State University. She brings over 20 years of experience in higher education, spanning teaching, leadership, research, and program development across both two-year and four-year institutions. In addition to her work at ETSU, she teaches English and writing courses across multiple institutions, mentoring students and supporting their academic and professional growth. Her work also includes curriculum design, dissertation advising, grant-funded research, and collaboration with community colleges on leadership and student success initiatives .
Prior to ETSU, Dr. Channing served as Dean of Liberal Arts at Truckee Meadows Community College, Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kankakee Community College, and Director of Writing Programs and English Department Head at Mitchell Community College. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, along with an M.A. and B.A. in English from Wright State University. Dr. Channing has published extensively and presents nationally on topics related to teaching, culture, leadership, and higher education. In her personal time, she enjoys reading, writing, running, prayer and meditation, traveling, spending time with family, and relaxing with her cats, J. Gatsby and Socrates Burrito.
Dr. Amy Moreland
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Policy & Strategy for the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)
Dr. Amy Moreland serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Policy and Strategy at the Tennessee Board of Regents, where she is part of the system’s Research and Data team. In this role, she leads large-scale research and innovation initiatives designed to strengthen student success across Tennessee’s 37 community and technical colleges. Her work focuses on identifying and implementing evidence-based strategies related to advising, accelerated coursework, financial aid, corequisite learning support, dual enrollment, and labor market outcomes for graduates. She collaborates closely with institutional leaders to align policy, practice, and data in ways that expand access and improve completion for diverse student populations.
Dr. Moreland also leads the Tennessee Coaching Project, a statewide pilot initiative launched in 2022 that provides course-embedded success coaching and career advising for learning support students and adult learners. This work reflects her broader commitment to advancing innovative, student-centered approaches that support persistence and long-term success. Prior to joining the Tennessee Board of Regents, she served as Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Texas Tech University.
Dr. Heidi Leming
Vice Chancellor for Student Success at the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)
Dr. Heidi Leming serves as Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Strategic Partnerships at the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) — a role she has held since 2017, with her broader tenure as a TBR senior staff member dating to 2014. The College System of Tennessee is the state's largest public higher education system, comprising 13 community colleges, 23 colleges of applied technology, and the online TN eCampus, serving approximately 170,000 students.
In her role, Dr. Leming works closely with the student affairs operations and vice presidents for student affairs at TBR colleges and serves as the system-level advocate to other state agencies on student-related issues. Tennessee Board of Regents She has helped lead student success programs and initiatives including high-impact practices, academic mindset, accessibility initiatives, international education, and support for low-income and first-generation students.
Dr. Leming's office has earned national recognition for its work. In 2022, TBR's Office of Student Success was recognized by NASPA for its work assessing the impact of high-impact practices statewide and received additional recognition in 2025 for research efforts to better understand veteran student support services across the TBR system. Tennessee Board of Regents Dr. Leming herself has been recognized among the most accomplished professionals in her field: she was the 2019 recipient of the NASPA Region III Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Officer Award and, in 2025, became the inaugural recipient of the NASPA Public Policy Division Professional Award, which recognizes excellence in contributions to higher education and support of NASPA's mission through policy development and student advocacy.
Dr. Leming is an active member of NASPA, has published chapters and articles on high-impact practices and student engagement, and regularly speaks at state and national convenings on TBR's student retention and success efforts. Tennessee Board of Regents Beyond her work at TBR, she serves on the Volunteer Tennessee Board and is an adjunct professor at East Tennessee State University, where she teaches in the Community College Leadership graduate program. THE ORG She also hosts TBR's higher education podcast, From the Vice Chancellor's Shelf, a series in which she discusses books with industry experts and higher education leaders focused on building creative and resilient teams in higher education.
Prior to joining TBR, Dr. Leming served as Vice President for Student Affairs in the University System of Georgia and as a doctoral intern with the University System of Georgia Board of Regents in Atlanta. Tennessee Board of Regents Her earlier career includes student affairs positions at the College of Coastal Georgia, Austin Peay State University, the University of Memphis, Lynchburg College, Virginia Tech, SUNY Cortland, and the University of Georgia THE ORG — representing more than 20 years of experience across institutions in Tennessee, Virginia, New York, and Georgia.
Dr. Leming earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, her M.A.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Virginia Tech, and her B.S. in Mass Communications from Moorhead State University in Minnesota.
Dr. Brian Noland
President, East Tennessee State University
Dr. Brian Noland became the ninth president of East Tennessee State University in January 2012. Under his leadership, ETSU embarked upon a series of mission-driven transformative initiatives related to teaching, research, and service. With the construction of the Martin Center for the Arts and Greene Stadium and the renovation of the Culp Student Center and the Interprofessional Education and Research Center, ETSU has launched the largest volume of capital projects in its history.
Sustaining ETSU’s focus on regional service, President Noland has partnered with civic
and corporate entities to launch Overmountain Recovery, the region’s only fully comprehensive
treatment and addiction recovery center. In addition, he has secured $25 million in
external funds to create the Center for Rural Health and Research, a state center
of excellence focused on advancing health and improving the quality of life in rural
communities. Recently, he helped forge a partnership with a local health system to
establish a first-of-its-kind institute dedicated to promoting the awareness and study
of adverse childhood experiences.
Through President Noland’s leadership, operational units on campus were restructured
to support student success, a move that has yielded greater efficiencies as well as
the highest graduation rate in the history of the university. In 2019, he launched
“The Campaign for ETSU,” a $125 million comprehensive capital campaign to support
teaching, research and service.
President Noland has guided the long-term visioning processes for many initiatives
at the university as well as the creation of a decentralized budget structure that
aligns strategic planning and budgeting. He is a board member for the American Council
on Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Ballad
Health, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Dr. Michael Torrence
President, Motlow State Community College
Dr. Michael Torrence is the seventh seated President of Motlow State Community College, having been appointed to the post in 2018 by the Tennessee Board of Regents. A passionate career educator, Dr. Torrence has worked in higher education for more than 25 years as a faculty member, mid-level and senior administrator, and ultimately President. His diverse areas of expertise include research, adult education, student success, academic affairs, staff development, distance learning, and diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion. Dr. Torrence is also an entrepreneurial business development professional and technology strategist. To further enhance his skills, he recently earned a welding certificate through Motlow’s Automation and Robotics Training Center.
Dr. Torrence is a Tennessee Board of Regents Maxine Smith Fellow and is only one of
two Fellows who has been appointed as a community college president within the TBR
System since the inception of the program. Dr. Torrence leads and serves on local,
state, national, and international boards that influence and shape the future of higher
education. He earned his BA and MA in English at South Dakota State University and
a Ph.D. in Exceptional Learning (Literacy) from Tennessee Technological University.