Joseph E. Johnson, Ed.D., served as the University of Tennessee President from 1990 -1999 and Interim President 2003-2004. He is currently President Emeritus. Johnson has served in various high level administrative positions with substantial work in alumni relations, public relations, fundraising, government relations, campus planning, and capital construction. He also has been a liaison to various departments including athletics and served on the board of directors of numerous public organizations.

Patrick Burke is a Principal and Studio Head who joined the Michael Graves Architecture and Design firm in 1982 after receiving his architectural training at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Princeton University. Building on the firm’s longstanding commitment to humanism and its power to produce transformative results, Burke has undertaken numerous trend-setting projects for museums, theaters, libraries and other institutions that are cornerstones of their communities.

McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Inc. (MHM) is a 50-year old architecture and interior design firm in Knoxville, Tennessee. The company has designed public libraries in most of the major cities in east Tennessee and southwest Virginia as well as the main library (John C. Hodges) for the University of Tennessee. Jeff Johnson, AIA, has served as the principal or project manager on most of the firm’s library projects.