“why not?”
I don’t like to engage in political discussions on social media. In fact, I don’t believe I ever have. But when you have the opportunity to share the truth about someone you know who is running for office, it’s worth facing the trolls. This is my friend, mentor, and former boss, Randy Boyd. He’s running for governor of Tennessee, and I feel very strongly that I need to share some of my thoughts about him from my perspective working side-by-side with him for a year to create the Tennessee Promise program.
When I first met Randy in April 2013, I didn’t think he was a real human. This man has a goal of running a marathon on all 7 continents - including Antarctica. He runs a marathon or a half marathon every month. In fact, he had just run in the Boston Marathon the week we met, crossing the finish line just minutes before the bombs exploded on that horrific day. He wakes up at 4 AM every day to check emails and begins meetings with people before the sun rises. Randy was the first in his family to go to college, graduating from The University of Tennessee at age 19. He built a business from the ground up, often sleeping in his car and taking showers at gas station truck stops because he had no money. That business, Radio Systems Corporation, is now a multi-million dollar company that is known globally. He owns 2 minor league baseball teams in Tennessee, a dream he had as a child. (He also made those parks some of the pet friendliest stadiums in America. 🐶) Randy opened several restaurants in downtown Knoxville (including the musician-supporting Jig & Reel) to help restore the beautiful Old City and bring new life to his hometown. He has been involved with Boy Scouts of America for decades as a volunteer. He has donated more money to charitable organizations and good causes than I will probably ever make in my entire lifetime (I’m talking MILLIONS of personal dollars donated). He started a nonprofit called tnAchieves that was the inspiration for the Tennessee Promise program which made community and technical colleges free for all students in the state. Then he worked for a year (for free, not taking a single paycheck) for Governor Haslam to make that dream a reality in legislation. That’s when I got to work with Randy up close, as his sole staff person. So I got to know him very well, seeing him use logic and reason, compassion, and endless optimism to drive forward his vision and make it a reality.
Randy Boyd is the hardest working, most genuine, passionate, indefatigable person I have ever met. Politics and political parties aside, I know his #1 goal is to make Tennessee a great place to live and work for all people. He is a wonderful human who will always choose the right thing to do. He was a great - albeit hard to keep up with! - boss who inspired me to chase all my dreams, and even when I told him I was leaving my 9-to-5 job working in education policy to chase my own music dream, he wholeheartedly supported me in that venture and still does today.
Early voting in Tennessee for the primary election for governor begins this Friday, and I just wanted to toss out my personal endorsement for Randy. I’m a left-leaning moderate, but I 100% support Randy Boyd and hope that he will become our state’s next governor. If you haven’t taken time to research the candidates, I hope you will, and if you would like to know more about Randy Boyd, I would be delighted to share more of my personal experiences with you.
When I worked with Randy to create the Tennessee Promise program, a lot of people in government and the business and education communities pushed back, saying it would be impossible to make community and technical college free in Tennessee. We were met with a lot of resistance and nay-sayers. But Randy always responded to their doubts with, “Why not?” He challenged people to think beyond what is, and to imagine what could be.
To this day, whenever I think I can’t do something, I hear Randy asking, “Why not?” and encouraging me to go for the impossible.
Even if you don’t live in Tennessee or don’t plan to vote in the primary election, I hope Randy’s words and spirit will inspire you whenever you think you can’t do something that you dream of doing. Simply ask yourself, “Why not?” Because you might just end up becoming a successful businessperson, owning a baseball team or two, making your city a better place, running a marathon, helping thousands of students go to college for free, or becoming the next governor of Tennessee.