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Department
Leadership, Policy, and Organizations
Office Location
202 Payne
Direct Phone
615-322-8000
Fax Number
615-343-7094
Email Address
Richard G. Rhoda
Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Associate Professor
Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1985
Joined faculty in 2007
Short Biography
Dr. Richard G. Rhoda serves as Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), a position he has held since 1997. Previously, he served as chancellor, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and strategic planning, and vice chancellor for administration for the Tennessee Board of Regents. He also served as interim president of Austin Peay State University and of Nashville State Technical Institute. He was the original assistant director of Vanderbilt University’s Peabody Center for Education Policy, which was created to be a national policy research center.
In his capacity as Executive Director of THEC, Dr. Rhoda leads state-level oversight of academic programs, budgeting, and strategic planning in Tennessee higher education. He actively represents Tennessee in: the State Higher Education Executive Officers organization; the Education Commission of the States, serving on the steering committee and executive committee, and currently serving as treasurer of the organization; the Southern Regional Education Board; and The College Board, serving on the southern Regional Council. He is a member of the American Association of University Professors.
Dr. Rhoda earned the Bachelor of Arts in History from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee (1972), the Master of Arts in Education from Peabody College (1974), and the Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University (1985).
At Vanderbilt, Dr. Rhoda teaches doctoral courses on public finance and public policy of higher education.