BBBTV12 Serving Anderson, Roane, and Morgan Counties
Roane State Foundation is pleased to announce the members of its recently assembled campaign cabinet for the Knox Regional Health Science and Simulation Center project.
The $75,000,000 facility will replace Roane State’s current Knox County Center for Health Sciences, relocating the campus to the 9000-block of Sherrill Boulevard and expanding it to approximately 130,000 square feet. TCAT Knoxville will also occupy space and offer select health science programs at the new campus.
The State of Tennessee earmarked $67,500,000 in the 2022-2023 budget for the new facility. Roane State Foundation will provide an estimated $7,500,000 in community matching and scholarship funds and is kicking off a fundraising campaign to meet that goal.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and wife Jan McNally are honorary co-chairs of the campaign cabinet, with Jim VanderSteeg and Dr. Lynn Massingale serving as co-chairs. Mike Belbeck and Greg Gheen will serve as vice chairs.
McNally started his career in community pharmacies before joining Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge as staff pharmacist in 1979. He retired from that position in 2010 and currently serves the State of Tennessee as Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate. Jan McNally retired as Corporate Director for Leadership Development at Covenant Health in 2012. She also previously worked at Methodist Medical Center, first as director of nursing and later as president and chief administrative officer.
VanderSteeg is President and CEO of Covenant Health, a major partner for the new center and long-time supporter of the college’s health science programs. Earlier this year, Covenant donated 10 acres of land across the street from Parkwest Medical Center for the construction of the new facility. The parcel is the largest valued gift ever received by the college.
Massingale is chairman and co-founder of TeamHealth, a Knoxville-based physician practice started in 1979. TeamHealth offers emergency medicine, hospital medicine, critical care, anesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, obstetrics, ambulatory care, post-acute care and medical call center solutions to approximately 3,000 acute and post-acute facilities and physician groups nationwide.
Belbeck is Executive Vice President of Operations at Covenant Health, a position he’s held with the company since 2016. In this role, he is responsible for the oversight of 10 hospitals, home care services and care management across Covenant’s 23-county service area. Belbeck previously served for more than eight years as President and Chief Administrative Officer of Methodist Medical Center.
Gheen is Principal and Co-Founder of Realty Trust Group (RTG), a company providing real estate solutions to the healthcare industry. Gheen served as RTG president from 1998 through 2022 and currently works on engagements across the company, including strategic planning, project development, and portfolio optimization. He brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare real estate to the cabinet.
“We want to thank those who have volunteered to serve as the voice of this campaign to our communities,” said Scott Niermann, Roane State Foundation Executive Director. “These cabinet members were carefully selected for their ability to support our mission as well as their understanding of the critical need for strong health science education in East Tennessee. We have no doubt that each member will be an effective advocate for Roane State, its students, and this tremendous project.”
Dr. Chris Whaley, president of Roane State, and Kelli Chaney, president of TCAT Knoxville, will represent their respective institutions on the cabinet. Additional campaign cabinet members include:
- David Bradshaw – Pinnacle Financial Partners, Senior VP and Oak Ridge Area Manager
- Wade Creswell – County Executive, Roane County Government
- Dr. Jan Hahn – Family Physician, Access Medical Care in Madisonville
- Michelle Hardin – First Horizon, Senior VP and Manager of Private Client Services & Medical Private Banking
- Hon. Jim Henry – Coldwell Banker/Jim Henry & Associates Real Estate, and former Deputy Governor to Bill Haslam
- Rhonda Longmire – Community Trust Bank, LaFollette Market President
- Andy Page – Oak Ridge Associated Universities, President and CEO
- Dr. Shirley Raines – Speaker, Author, Leadership Development Consultant & President Emerita, University of Memphis
- Barry Stephenson – Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc., President and CEO
- Mike Swain – Chairman, First National Bank of Oneida
- Sharon Templeton – Manager of Government/Community Relations, EnergySolutions
- James Frank Wilson – Retired Attorney, Chairman/Organizer of Citizens First Bank, Chairman of Morgan County Community Fund and Former Director and President of the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club Foundation
The vision for the health science and simulation center is focused on creating dynamic spaces where instructors can provide comprehensive simulations of the work students will be doing when they graduate.
Current Roane State programs to be housed in the new center include nursing, EMS, polysomnography, and respiratory therapy, with the college planning to add seven new options. TCAT Knoxville’s health science programs offered under the same roof include dental assisting, phlebotomy, and surgical technology, among others.
Roane State and TCAT Knoxville plan to break ground on the new facility later this year. Preliminary estimates have the Knox Regional Health Science Center set to open for students in 2025.
Additional details on the capital campaign are forthcoming from Roane State Foundation.
