Dr. Faircloth will explain the purpose and the importance of clinical trials. She will discuss the history and different kinds of trials and how they are designed, organized, conducted and assessed. She will also address the requirements for participants, how they are recruited and selected, as well as the roles of researchers, hospitals, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration in protecting the patients.

Dr. Faircloth was born and raised in New Jersey where she attended Rutgers University College of Pharmacy, graduating in 1997. She completed two years of pharmacy residency, specializing in critical care, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. She has remained at UTMC and advanced her career working in various pharmacy roles from critical care to administration and now to clinical trials. Dr. Faircloth has been certified by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties as Critical Care Pharmacist as well as Pharmacotherapy Specialist.

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The business part of our Annual Membership Meeting will only take a few minutes for the annual report, treasurer’s report and the election of board directors and corporation officers. Nominated at the January meeting were,

Photo by christels on Pixnio 

Humans have kept bees in artificial hives for more than 10,000 years. Scientific study of bee colonies began in the 18^th century in Europe. In the United States alone, crops worth more than $15 billion per year depend on insect pollination. Much ingenuity, experimentation and research has gone into the design and production of hives, tools, and techniques to efficiently harvest and process honey.

In the new millennium the mysterious honey bee colony collapse disorder, mites, and viruses have plagued beekeepers across the world, causing great losses for apiaries and farmers who depend on them. This also has greatly raised the awareness of many other species of pollinators that are important in natural and agricultural ecosystems and crucial to sustain biodiversity.

The University of Tennessee Knoxville campus became the 98^th Certified Bee Campus USA in 2020. The UT Apiculture Program supports the campus, the state’s beekeeping industry and private beekeepers. Through agricultural extension offerings and county beekeeping associations, you may sign up for beekeeping classes across the state. You can also support pollinators by keeping your lawn chemical free and thoughtfully planting pollinator-friendly native plants in your home garden or even on a balcony.

Dale Hinkle is a 5^th generation beekeeper and Tennessee Certified Master Beekeeper. He has been keeping hives in Blount and Loudon counties and on the Plateau. He has taught many classes on beekeeping, is an expert in queen rearing, and a champion of bee product diversification. Dale has served as bee inspector in Blount and Monroe counties. He also has started local clubs and been an officer in several county clubs and the Tennessee Beekeepers Association.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

Dr. Pointer will discuss the evolving domestic and global energy climate that is driving renewed interest in deployment of nuclear energy. He will present a brief primer on nuclear energy system design as a foundation for further discussion of the mission-driven design differences associated with small modular reactors, microreactors and advanced reactors. He will also introduce the technological challenges that are driving today’s research and development activities.

Dr. Pointer obtained his PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee in 2001. He led the Engineering Simulations Section of the Nuclear Engineer Division at Argonne National Laboratory before joining ORNL as a Distinguished R&D Staff member in 2012.

He has more than 20 years of experience in the design and safety of nuclear systems, including conventional light water reactors, advanced reactors using gas, liquid metal or molten salt coolants and high-power accelerator systems. His work has focused on the advancement and qualification of modeling and simulation tools for nuclear energy systems, especially computational fluid dynamics and the acceptance of results contemporary high-resolution methods running on high performance computers for projection of performance, assessment of safety and operations planning in these applications.

He leads a team of more than 250 scientists and engineers who are focused on R&D activities supporting accelerated deployment of advanced nuclear energy system, nuclear fuel, and fuel cycle technologies.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

He will discuss current and future research buildings under development and the plan to build a hotel and conference center. That project has advanced to the Request for Proposals stage in January 2024.

A new entrepreneurship ecosystem — called the SPARK Innovation Center — and CleanTech Accelerator Programs are also key initiatives of the research park.

Other notable developments are the new TDOT interchange road at the research park, its Outdoor Cultural & Recreational Center development, and potential parking garages.

Rickey McCallum was born and raised in Knoxville. He graduated 2000 from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with a B.S. in Sports Administration and double minor in Sports Marketing and Management.

Before joining the University of Tennessee in 2014 he had extensive careers with Enterprise-Rent-a-Car of Tennessee, Dale Carnegie Training, and Tennessee Valley Authority.

He is celebrating ten years at the University of Tennessee. Before his current position at the UT Research Park, he worked for five years in UTK's Office of Corporate & Industry Engagement.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is working with TC Energy to study carbon capture technology to reduce emissions at TVA’s natural gas facilities in Ackerman, Mississippi and in Drakesboro, Kentucky.

Carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) is proposed and explored as one of the pathway scenarios to “net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050” in TVA's Valley Pathways Study, conducted in cooperation with The Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. CCUS also has been chosen in TVA’s Carbon Report to be tried out in practice as one of the innovative energy technology ‘carbon levers’ (actions for deeper carbon reduction).

TC Energy’s carbon capture approach works by sending the exhaust from natural gas power facilities to a carbon dioxide (CO₂) scrubber adjacent to the plant. A chemical reaction absorbs the CO₂ before the exhaust is released into the air. The absorbent is then pumped to another vessel and treated with heat that releases the CO₂. This released CO₂ is then compressed and sent deep into the earth for safe storage.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

The choice of electric vehicles (EV) is growing quickly now. The total cost of EV ownership has decreased drastically thanks to governmental incentive programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But for many potential EV drivers, the scarcity of charging locations compared to fossil fuel stations still is a formidable barrier to make the leap.

The EMPOWER TN project, managed by Darcy Ayers, focuses on education and direct technical assistance to rapidly increase the number and distribution of EV charging facilities at workplaces statewide. The project is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy.

With Equitable Mobility Powering Opportunities for Workplace  Electrification Readiness or EMPOWER, East TN Clean Fuels hopes to be a one-stop shop for helpful workplace-focused resources, such as funding opportunities that may offset the cost of purchase and installation. By bringing EV ports to work, EMPOWER TN is simplifying the transition to EV's and making charging convenient and easy, especially for those without access to chargers at home.

Since estimates show that the second-most frequently utilized charging is the workplace, EMPOWER TN is working to reduce the barriers to these employees accessing EV's and the economic and environmental benefits of driving electric. As EV ownership expands and infrastructure matures, EMPOWER TN strives to make sure EV's are truly for everyone.

Darcy Ayers is a Colorado native who has spent the better part of the last 20 years in East Tennessee. She graduated from UT Knoxville with a Bachelor’s in Anthropology, a minor in Geography, and a Master’s in Applied Sociology. Before joining the ETCleanFuels team in June 2023, she was Program Director at SEEED, leading the Career Readiness Program and other workforce development boot camps for young adults. Darcy is excited about the opportunity to continue serving her community through the pursuit of a just energy transition. Outside of work, you can find her always doing something for her rugby club or hanging out at home with her husband, dog, and cat.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

Dr. Howard is an energy executive who combines business acumen with deep technical expertise and in-depth electric utility experience. He has over forty years of results-driven global experience with a bias toward collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation in organizations ranging from start-ups to large public companies.

Most recently, Dr. Howard served for ten years as the CEO of EPRI, a $440 million global company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with several U.S. and international offices. EPRI develops technology innovations encompassing the production, delivery, and use of electricity, including nuclear power, renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicles, with a mission to ensure reliable, affordable, and cleaner electricity for society.

Dr. Howard started his career with Westinghouse after receiving his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from The University of Tennessee. He was chosen for a four-year management trainee program at Westinghouse while receiving his M.S. in Business and Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Howard received his Ph.D. from The University of Tennessee, College of Engineering. His dissertation research focused on advanced artificial intelligence.

After ten years of experience with Westinghouse and its subsidiary, Dr. Howard co-founded a technology company that provided advanced image processing systems for automated microscopic material and biological analysis. After three years, the company merged with an affiliated company to create a roll-up with related companies.

Following the merger, Dr. Howard joined a venture capital company providing equity and debt investment to early-stage technology companies while also serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee, teaching a variety of master's and Ph.D. courses in Industrial Engineering.

From the mid to late 90s, Dr. Howard was president and CEO of a technology-based power electronics technology company providing end-use power quality solutions for large industrial customers and electric utility companies.

EPRI acquired the business in 1999. Following the acquisition, Dr. Howard served in several EPRI leadership roles before EPRI's Board of Directors selected him as its President and CEO in 2010. He retired as CEO at the end of 2020, and the Board of Directors then appointed Dr. Howard as its CEO Emeritus.

Dr. Howard serves on the Board of Directors of three technology-based, energy-focused companies.

He also serves on the Carnegie Mellon University's Scott Institute advisory council, is Chair of the World Energy Council headquartered in London and is a Senior Fellow for the Rome-based Enel Foundation.

Dr. Howard recently served on a technical committee of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences. In 2019, Dr. Howard was awarded the Distinguished Energy Award in Washington, D.C., for lifetime contributions to providing technical innovations and leadership to global energy issues. Dr. Howard is an active IEEE and National Association of Corporate Directors member.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

For five decades, Tom Ballard, a native of East Tennessee, has been a driving force of entrepreneurial evolution. Working for the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Public Service, he advised public officials and manufacturers, eventually heading that non-agricultural extension service for 20 years and becoming UT’s Vice President for Public and Governmental Relations. Next, he joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory as its first Director of Partnerships, which extended his range of activity beyond the borders of Tennessee. During both of these engagements, Ballard led initiatives to build multi-organizational alliances focusing on statewide telecommunications networking, automotive research, and land use planning. 

After he turned 65 in 2011, Ballard joined PYA as Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Initiatives. He launched Teknovation.biz, a daily electronic newsletter focused on technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also serves on, and has chaired, many local and regional nonprofit and educational organizations, advisory boards and councils.

Ballard’s vision and efforts have contributed greatly to advancing entrepreneurial evolution in East Tennesse, which is turning Knoxville – Oak Ridge into a hub for innovative high-tech enterprises that employ carbon-fiber, composite, nanoscale and other advanced material technologies. These companies also benefit from the latest electronic, additive manufacturing, bioscience, an computational discoveries of the Governor’s Chairs at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

In 2020, PYA launched an annual $50,000 competition for emerging enterprises — named the Ballard Innovation Award — in Tom’s honor.

PYA, founded 1983 in Knoxville as Pershing and Yoakley CPA’s, is one of our area’s outstanding corporate success stories. Listed by Forbes among America’s Best Accounting and Tax firms, PYA consistently ranks under Modern Healthcare’s Top 20 healthcare consulting firms. It also has been ranked third-highest in female ownership among Top 100 Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting and is a Top 15 auditor of the nation’s largest health systems.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.