JOHNSON CITY (Aug. 20, 2020) – East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Linda Latimer and Dr. Robert Pack are among 38 leaders from across Tennessee who will spend the next year engaging in collaborative, non-partisan dialogue on issues of statewide importance as part of Leadership Tennessee’s class of 2020-2021.
Latimer is a member of ETSU’s Board of Trustees. Pack serves as associate dean for academic affairs and professor of Community and Behavioral Health in ETSU’s College of Public Health.
Entering its eighth year, Leadership Tennessee selects a new class of leaders annually to take part in a statewide study course while visiting different areas of Tennessee, learning best practices and analyzing important issues faced by Tennesseans.
To accommodate travel and group size restrictions across the state, Leadership Tennessee Class VIII will convene in January 2021 and complete the program with an accelerated yet fully comprehensive schedule.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a variety of unforeseen and unprecedented challenges for businesses and communities across Tennessee – challenges that underscore the importance of working collaboratively to solve problems and identify new avenues to address the most pressing issues facing our state,” said Leadership Tennessee Executive Director Cathy Cate.
“Without question, the pandemic has created new hurdles for Leadership Tennessee as we’ve worked to recruit the right membership for Class VIII and also adjusted our timeline in response to current restrictions on in-person gatherings and travel. We are determined to make sure this important program can continue despite current circumstances. Now more than ever, we need to facilitate constructive engagement and discussion in Tennessee to support future success and prosperity.”
Latimer is an inaugural member of the ETSU Board of Trustees and has served in this
role since 2017.
She holds active medical licenses in both Tennessee and Virginia and is a College of American Pathologists Fellow as well as an American Society of Clinical Pathologists Fellow. A board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologist, Latimer received her medical degree from ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine and also completed her pathology residency through ETSU. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.
She has held various positions throughout her career, including serving as the medical director of Cytopathology Laboratory in Johnson City and the medical director of the laboratory at Takoma Regional Hospital in Greeneville. She has also served as a clinical assistant professor in the Quillen College of Medicine. Latimer has served on many committees at hospitals including the Johnson City Medical Center and Takoma Regional Hospital.
“I am honored to be included in Class VIII of Leadership Tennessee,” Latimer said. “I look forward to having dialogue and collaboration with some of the greatest minds in Tennessee in order to help improve the quality of life across our great state.”
Pack is a nationally recognized expert on the prevention and treatment of substance
use disorders. He serves as executive director of ETSU’s Addiction Science Center
and has led numerous research studies on prescription drug abuse.
In 2019, Pack chaired the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Task Force on Opioids, which released a report with recommendations to address the opioid crisis in the United States. He also serves on the Appalachian Regional Commission Substance Abuse Advisory Council and as a chair of several non-profit boards of directors.
This year, Pack and Dr. Kimberly Horn of Virginia Tech were awarded a $2.6 million grant to develop studies on how to best provide support services for individuals being treated with opioid use disorder. This grant will capitalize on the Opioids Research Consortium of Central Appalachia (ORCCA), which is made up of five research universities, three health systems and six community organizations from throughout the region.
“This is a great opportunity to connect with and learn from leaders across the state about issues that most affect their communities and to create new solutions together,” said Pack. “I’ve known several people who have been in the Leadership Tennessee program, and they speak very highly of it. I was glad to accept the invitation to join Class VIII.”
To learn more about Leadership Tennessee, visit www.leadershiptennessee.org.