Randy Boyd is an American entrepreneur and academic administrator, currently serving as the President of the University of Tennessee (UT) System.

Life

Boyd was born on October 24, 1959, in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state ...

. Boyd earned his bachelor's degree in Industrial Management from the

University of Tennessee, Knoxville The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

. In 1991, Boyd founded Radio Systems Corporation, a company that designs and manufactures pet products under various brand names, including PetSafe,

Invisible Fence Invisible Fence Inc. (commonly referred to as Invisible Fence) is a company that designs pet fence A pet fence or fenceless boundary is an electronic system designed to keep a pet or other domestic animal within a set of predefined boundaries w ...

, and SportDOG. Boyd sold Radio Systems Corporation to private investment firm Clayton, Dubilier, & Rice in 2020. In 2015, Boyd was appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development by

Tennessee Governor The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state. The current governor is Bill Lee, a ...

Bill Haslam William Edward Haslam (; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of ...

. Randy Boyd ran for governor of Tennessee in 2018, and faced a crowded field in the Republican primary that included Bill Lee,

Diane Black Diane Lynn Black (née Warren; January 16, 1951) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for from January 3, 2011, to January 3, 2019. The district includes several suburban and rural areas east of Nashville. A Republican, ...

, and

Beth Harwell Beth Halteman Harwell (born July 24, 1957, in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a member of the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. She served as State Representative f ...

, and perennial candidate

Basil Marceaux Basil Marceaux, Sr. (born May 26, 1952) is an American perennial candidate who has on multiple occasions run for state and federal public office in Tennessee. Most recently, he filed as a candidate for the 2010 Republican nominations for gove ...

. Boyd finished second behind Bill Lee who went on to become the 50th governor of Tennessee. Boyd purchased the

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off I ...

, a minor league baseball team in 2013. The team will move to Knoxville upon completion of a new stadium in 2024. Boyd is also known for his philanthropic efforts. He and his wife, Jenny, have contributed to various causes, particularly in education and animal welfare. The couple established the Boyd Foundation, which supports numerous charitable initiatives, including the creation of greenways and public parks. The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees hired Boyd as interim president of the statewide university system in 2018. He was named permanent president of the university on March 27, 2020. Boyd's contract with the University of Tennessee system was extended to 2030 on June 27, 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Randy Tennessee politicians Living people People from Knoxville, Tennessee Presidents of the University of Tennessee system 1959 births Philanthropists from Tennessee