About Us
For over a decade, organizations across Tennessee have benefitted from Jenny and Randy Boyd’s generous spirit and commitment to making their home state a better place. Following a long, rich history of personal giving, the Boyd family launched the Boyd Foundation in 2017. Focused on education, arts and preservation, animal welfare and mental health, the Boyd Foundation is both intentional and comprehensive in their giving approach, incorporating the passions of Jenny, Randy and their sons and daughter-in-law, Harrison, Thomas and Lindsey.
Our Board Members
Randy Boyd
Jenny Boyd
Thomas & Lindsey Boyd
Harrison Boyd
Leadership
Krissy DeAlejandro, Executive Director
Chad Dykes, Controller
Meet Our Team
Randy Boyd
Randy Boyd has served as UT’s 26th president since November 2018 and serves as the chief executive officer of the statewide UT System.
The UT System includes campuses in Chattanooga, Pulaski and Martin; the Health Science Center in Memphis; and the Institute of Public Service. Additionally, it includes the flagship campus in Knoxville, which is also comprised of the Space Institute in Tullahoma and the statewide Institute of Agriculture. The UT System also manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership, where Boyd serves as chairman.
In 1991, Boyd founded Knoxville-based Radio Systems Corporation (now PetSafe Brands), a company that produces over 4,000 pet-related products under the brand names PetSafe, Invisible Fence, ScoopFree and SportDOG. The company employs more than 1,400 people with offices in six countries around the world. Boyd also owns Boyd Sports, LLC, which owns six minor league baseball teams, including the Knoxville Smokies.
“It’s the honor of my life to be able to serve in this role. I’m a big believer in the word serendipity. Great things that happen to you that are unexpected, things that are better than you had planned. I never really expected to be in this role. The day that I said I would be willing to serve as the interim (president), that morning I woke up not ever thinking I would be the president of a university, let alone my alma mater, let alone the university that’s the land grant of the state that I love. So to be able to get this opportunity to serve both my university and my state all at the same time is the greatest blessing I’ve ever had.”
Randy Boyd, UT System President
In 2007, Boyd began a journey transitioning from entrepreneur and businessman to full-time public servant. Boyd is a founder and chairman of tnAchieves, a nonprofit which has helped send more than 200,000 students to community college free of tuition and fees. This success led then-Governor Bill Haslam to invite him to serve as special advisor on higher education in 2013. During his tenure, he is credited with being the architect of the Drive to 55 and the Tennessee Promise. In 2015, Gov. Haslam recruited him back to serve as commissioner of economic and community development. During his tenure, his team recruited 52,000 new jobs and $9 billion in new investment for the state. He also founded and co-chaired the governor’s Rural Task Force and chaired the Governor’s Workforce Sub-Cabinet. Randy and his wife Jenny have dedicated their lives to giving back. In 2018, the couple formed the Boyd Foundation to further promote youth education, mental health, the arts and animal welfare. Among the Foundation’s many philanthropic commitments is the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research and the Boyd Venture Challenge seed grant program for student entrepreneurs, both through the Haslam College of Business at UT Knoxville. In an effort to make Tennessee the most pet friendly state in the nation, they have donated the funds to create over 100 dog parks across the state.
Boyd is the first in his family to graduate from college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on industrial management from UT Knoxville. He also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies with a focus on foreign policy from the University of Oklahoma.
When not working for UT, Boyd enjoys running and has run 95 half marathons and 55 full marathons, including one on every continent, and yes including Antarctica. But his favorite time is spent as Jenny’s husband of 42 years, father to his two sons, and being Poppi to his two granddaughters.
Jenny Boyd
From a young age, Jenny found passion in the arts: dancing in the Knoxville Ballet Company and later the theater program at Bearden High School. She also performed with the Atlanta and New Mexico Ballet Companies. Jenny is committed to preserving Appalachian heritage. She owns Boyd’s Jig and Reel, a Scottish-themed musical pub in Knoxville’s Old City. Its mission is to preserve and promote Appalachia and Scotland’s shared music heritage. She is often at Jig and Reel’s weekly Old Time jam sessions playing fiddle, mandolin or banjo. Jenny’s leadership has impacted a variety of Knoxville and East Tennessee organizations. She has previously served on the board of directors for Young-Williams Animal Center, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, East Tennessee History Center and the Historic Tennessee Theater. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Appalachia, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and Friends of the Smokies. In her career, Jenny served in the ROTC department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and as a court reporter for WattsBoyd Court Reporting. Born in Munich, Germany, Jenny moved to Knoxville as a child. She attended Bearden High School and the University of Tennessee. Jenny and Randy live in Knoxville, Tennessee. They have two sons, a daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and two dogs, Oskar and Jolene.
Thomas Boyd
Thomas Boyd is a restaurateur/property developer in downtown Knoxville. He currently serves on the board for local nonprofits such as WDVX, Two Bikes, and the Old City Association.
Lindsey Boyd
Lindsey Boyd is a downtown Knoxville resident and advocate that serves on several boards and committees for non-profits. She is currently involved with Helen Ross McNabb Center, Boys and Girls Club of East Tennessee, Knoxville Zoo and Knoxville Breaststroke’s. Lindsey’s goal with her time as a community volunteer and donor is to bridge the gaps between existing non-profit organizations and local businesses to further strengthen our downtown community.
Krissy DeAlejandro
Krissy DeAlejandro is the Executive Director of tnAchieves, a scholarship and mentoring program that supports students as they transition from high school through post-secondary. Launched in 2008, tnAchieves currently serves as the partnering organization for Governor Haslam’s Tennessee Promise and has served nearly 450,000 students since inception. As the leader of the largest college access and success nonprofit in the country, Krissy is deeply committed to increasing the number of Tennessee students with a degree. Prior to her work with tnAchieves, Krissy served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Knox County Mayor where she focused on workforce development and higher education initiatives. Raised in a small town in rural Tennessee, Krissy is first in her family to attend college. She received her bachelor’s degree from Sewanee: University of the South. She pursued her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Tennessee. Krissy and her husband, Jeffrey, have three children, Oliver, Beatrice and Henry.