The Origin of Tennessee Promise with Governor Bill Haslam
November 2nd, 2026
37 mins 21 secs
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About this Episode
Encore episode. As the TN Promise application closes for the Class of 2027, we are revisiting our conversation with Governor Bill Haslam, the 49th Governor of Tennessee and a tnAchieves board member.
Originally released in April 2026 as "Taking the 'Idea On A Whiteboard' Statewide" to celebrate one year of At Scale, this episode traces how an idea sketched on a whiteboard grew into Tennessee Promise and what it took to scale it statewide.
In this conversation, we cover:
• What led Governor Haslam from business into public service
• How servant leadership shows up in high-stakes roles
• The origin story of Tennessee Promise and Drive to 55
• Why connecting K-12, higher education and workforce matters
• What keeps long-term, mission-driven work sustainable