Dr. Lana C. Seivers
Dr. Lana Seivers joined MTSU February 1, 2010 as Dean of the College of Education. Prior to that she was appointed Tennessee Commissioner of Education in January 2003 by Governor Phil Bredesen, a position she left in 2008 to serve as executive director of the Mississippi Center for Education Innovation.
As a member of the Governor’s Cabinet, Dr. Seivers is recognized for her leadership in assisting Governor Bredesen in policy and program implementation. As Commissioner, she oversaw development of reform of the state's system of funding schools, increases in teacher salaries to the Southeastern average, and the adoption of more rigorous state standards. She assisted the Governor in establishing the Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K program, a nationally ranked program which has implemented more than 900 classes statewide since 2005. The state has been acclaimed as a national leader in Pre-K, for which Dr. Seivers received the PreK[Now] Champion award. As a result of this and other work, Tennessee was awarded the Award for Education Innovation from the Education Commission of the States.
A native of east Tennessee, Dr. Seivers has been a teacher, principal, and superintendent. For most of her career, she worked in the Oak Ridge Schools were she specialized in elementary and special education and as director of early childhood education and principal. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, she served as Director of Clinton City Schools.
Dr. Seivers’ experience includes appointments by former Governors McWherter and Sundquist to the Advisory Council for the Education of Children with Disabilities. She is a past chair of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Tennessee Committee and recipient of the SACS Distinguished Education Leadership Award. Dr. Seivers was inducted into the MTSU Teachers Hall of Fame in 2008 and recognized for the Lifetime Achievement award.
Other appointments include the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee Trustees, Education Commission of the States, the Tennessee Jobs and Children’s Cabinets, Tennessee Tomorrow, and the USDE task force on growth models. Dr. Seivers was active in the Council of Chief State School Officers where she served on the early childhood, special education, and legislative committees and testified before the U.S. Senate Education Subcommittee for K-12 Education.
Dr. Seivers holds a bachelor’s degree from MTSU and a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Tennessee. She has one son, Matthew.