Scarlett’s dedication to community, empowerment and education is immortalized through the formation of this professorship. Having spent nearly three decades at Tractor Supply Company, including as president and chairman, Scarlett was instrumental in cultivating the culture of customer focus and innovative thinking. In 1982, he played a key role in the initiative to return the company to profitability through improved customer service and focused product selection as part of a classic leveraged buyout.
In his retirement, Scarlett continues to be a devoted mentor and coach, imparting his knowledge of leadership and management on the community in which he continues to serve. Cumberland’s Labry students were recent recipients of these insights, as Scarlett shared his inspiring story to the largest student turnout for a business speaker in CU history.
Currently, Scarlett works alongside his son and vice chair of the CU Business Council, Andrew Scarlett, and the two are partners in the Scarlett Hotel Group, which owns and operates 20 hotels with several more on the way.
Scarlett remains active in the Middle Tennessee Community alongside his daughter, Tara, through the Scarlett Family Foundation, which provides both merit and needs-based scholarships to local students pursuing business and STEM degrees.
Cumberland’s Associate Professor of Marketing and Academic Area Leader Valerie King, Ph.D., was honored with this prestigious professorship in recognition of her dedication to the University and her students.
King’s eight years of service at Cumberland University have been marked by her innovative approach to marketing education and her ability to form meaningful relationships with students.
With her background as a marketing specialist and marketing consultant, King’s dynamic teaching style and real-world application provide her students with the tools to excel in the competitive field.
Outside her work in the classroom, King is an active community member, making her the perfect recipient of a professorship that emphasizes leadership and service to others. King volunteers her time to various organizations in her local community with a focus on health care, education and poverty initiatives. She is also a graduate of Young Leaders Council and regularly supports various nonprofit initiatives.
The Joe Scarlett Endowed Professorship of Leadership not only acknowledges King’s contributions to the Labry school, but will also provide her with valuable resources to enhance her students’ educational experience.
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By Cumberland University
