The Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee honored Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos with the 2011 Jack C. Massey Leadership Award at an awards dinner Nov. 1.
The award is presented biennially in recognition of outstanding community leadership and considerable contributions to numerous causes that improve the lives of Middle Tennessee citizens.
Zeppos has been a leader in the Vanderbilt community for nearly 25 years. A noted legal scholar, teacher and executive, he has focused Vanderbilt in its core missions of teaching and research and personally recruited a significant number of its world-class faculty. In 2008, Zeppos was appointed Vanderbilt’s eighth chancellor.
Zeppos’ influence extends well beyond campus borders. In the Nashville community, he serves on the boards of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. He also serves on the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board and the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute board.
The Jack C. Massey Leadership Award was created by the Mental Health Association in 1986 to honor the late Massey’s lifelong dedication to the Nashville community. Massey was a founder of Baptist Hospital and served on its board of trustees for 20 years. He also was a trustee of Montgomery Bell Academy and a founder of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
Massey made frequent contributions to local academic institutions such as Vanderbilt Law School, Meharry Medical College and Belmont University, whose graduate school of business bears his name. One of the most successful entrepreneurs of his time, Massey helped to establish and lead numerous corporations including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Surgical Care Affiliates, Corrections Corporation of America, Hospital Corporation of America and Massey Surgical Supply.
Former Jack C. Massey Leadership Award recipients include Ambassador Joe M. Rodgers (1986); Leah Rose Werthan (1988); Buddy Killen (1991); Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter (1993); Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. (1995); Annette Eskind (1997); Alyne Massey (1999); William O. Whetsell Jr. (2001); William S. Cochran (2003); Orrin H. Ingram, John R. Ingram, David B. Ingram and Robin Ingram Patton (2005); Mayor Bill Purcell (2007); and Amy Grant and Vince Gill (2009).
The Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee promotes mental wellness for all individuals through advocacy, education and service. For more information, call (615) 269-5355.
Contact: Tom Starling, (615) 269-5355
tstarling@mhamt.org