2026 E-Week Luncheon

Keynote speaker is Dr. Lori Mann Bruce,
Chancellor of the University of Tennessee

Date: Tuesday, February 24th
Time: 11:30AM - 1:00PM
Location: University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Wolford Center (McKenzie Arena)

This year’s luncheon chair is Stephen Brady,
Project Manager at Pape-Dawnson Engineers

Tickets:
General Admission: $35.00
Table of 8: $350.00

About our Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Lori Mann Bruce became the 19th Chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on June 30, 2025, bringing a distinguished background in academic leadership and research excellence. Prior to joining UTC, she served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Tennessee Technological University, where she led academic operations for more than 10,000 students and helped secure the university’s first perfect academic program quality score in over 40 years.

At Tennessee Tech, Dr. Bruce launched new academic programs, advanced student success initiatives, and grew annual research funding from $16 million to over $46 million. She also led $350 million in campus infrastructure projects and championed faculty development, equity and compensation improvements.

Before her tenure at Tennessee Tech, she held several leadership roles at Mississippi State University, including associate vice president, graduate dean, and Giles Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her research has attracted over $20 million in external funding and yielded more than 150 peer-reviewed publications with 6,000+ citations.

A native of Lincoln County, Tennessee, Dr. Bruce values hard work and education—principles shaped by her rural upbringing and her mother’s return to college. She holds degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Georgia Tech, with additional training in biomedical engineering.

Her husband, Dr. JW Bruce, is a UTC engineering professor, and their son, Walker, studies industrial engineering at UT Knoxville. As Chancellor, Dr. Bruce is committed to advancing UTC’s mission of excellence in education, research, and community impact.