The Tennessee State University Board of Trustees voted on Aug. 5, 2025, to appoint Duane Tucker as the university’s president after a direct, immediate vote on the presidential selection process. Earlier in the meeting, a motion to ratify an extension of Tucker’s interim employment agreement — executed by Chair Winton — failed on a 4‑to‑5 roll call vote.

Why it matters: the board’s discussion about the presidential appointment intersected with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the university and the State of Tennessee and with questions about who on the board is authorized to execute or extend employment agreements. Trustees raised governance and shared‑governance concerns before selecting a permanent president.

Chair Winton opened the conversation on the method of selecting a president and proposed a direct vote. “I propose that this board proceed with selecting the university’s next president by a direct and immediate vote on a presidential appointment,” she said. The board subsequently conducted a procedural vote to proceed directly to a presidential appointment vote; that procedural motion passed.

Before the appointment vote, Trustee Traubart moved to ratify an extension of interim president Duane Tucker’s employment agreement “as signed by Chair Winton.” Traubart said the intent was to recognize an extension that had already been executed. Chair Winton explained the interim contract had been extended “on a month‑to‑month basis unless either party takes any action to not extend” and said the chair acted under delegated authority from an earlier Board meeting. Trustee Traubart said he believed the contract’s language required board action rather than unilateral extension by the chair.

On the roll call for the ratification motion, the following trustees voted yes: Trustee Chapman, Trustee Qualls, Trustee Traubart, and Trustee Smith Knight. Trustees Norfleet, Trustee Smith, Trustee Townes, Chair Winton and Trustee Young Sigler voted no. The motion failed 4‑5.

After the failed ratification, the board proceeded to nomination and appointment. As chair and pursuant to board bylaws, Chair Winton nominated Duane Tucker. “I am nominating and recommending the appointment of Duane Tucker to serve as president of TSU,” she said, citing his interim service and background. A subsequent roll call approved his appointment; the chair announced the motion passed.

Trustees debated whether the MOU with the State of Tennessee required the appointment of a permanent president. Chair Winton said her understanding from communications with state officials was that naming a president was among the expectations tied to state collaboration and funding; other trustees requested reading specific MOU language. Secretary Brown displayed section 4.1 of the MOU for the board, and participants read aloud that the MOU terminates on July 1, 2029, or earlier if specified expectations are met. Trustees disagreed on whether the MOU required naming a permanent president as a condition for payments.

Trustees also discussed how the chair would finalize a permanent employment agreement. Chair Winton moved to delegate authority to the chair — in consultation with the executive committee — to execute agreements governing the appointment and employment of the president. Trustees asked that the broader board be able to provide input; several suggested an ad hoc personnel group or that negotiated terms be brought back for ratification. The board did not finalize delegation at the meeting and the chair said the delegation motion would be tabled so the body could provide input and review a draft employment agreement before execution.

Several procedural matters were referenced in the discussion: Board Policy No. 4 (the board’s authority to appoint a president), an earlier December 2024 interim appointment of Duane Tucker, and the memorandum of understanding with the State of Tennessee. Chair Winton and trustees emphasized the board’s responsibility to consult stakeholders while also moving expediently to stabilize university leadership.

What happens next: Duane Tucker begins as the university’s president by board appointment. The board will reconvene on employment‑agreement language; Chair Winton said members should provide suggested contract terms to the chair so a draft can be prepared and presented to the full board for ratification. The board also retained authority to work with the executive committee or an ad hoc group to finalize the contract.

Vote totals and formal actions taken at the meeting are recorded in the board’s minute and are summarized in this article’s actions section for reference.