Gov. Phil Bredesen today named seven Tennesseans to fill vacancies on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, the Tennessee Board of Regents, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Board of Directors.

Among those named to the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees were Lauren Brannon, student trustee, and Dr. Susan Vickerstaff, faculty trustee.

Brannon is a senior marketing major pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She received the UTM Dean’s Scholarship, the Leaders in Residence Scholarship and the UT Alumni Valedictorian Scholarship. She is a member of Order of Omega and Rho Lambda.

“Lauren has contacted me about her appointment and she is very excited about having the chance to represent the students of the UT system,” SGA president Dusty Dean said Saturday.

“I’ve already contacted the student body presidents at UTK and UTC. We are all excited to see the initiatives she will pursue for the students of our system,” said Dean.

Brannon was not immediately available for comment.

Vickerstaff is an associate professor and is chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice. Vickerstaff previously served as an assistant professor at the UT College of Social Work in Memphis. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the State of Tennessee Board of Social Work Certification and Licensure.

Vickerstaff earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Mississippi State College for Women, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and a doctorate in social work from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

The University of Tennessee (UT) Board of Trustees governs the entire UT system, including campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin. The system serves a total of 42,000 students across the state.

ETSU student Dawn Blackwell was named to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, while Victoria Wheeler of LeMoyne-Ownen College was named to the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation.