Greg Lewis Joins Columbia State

Columbia State Community College announced the hiring of Greg Lewis as the interim director of advancement. Lewis, who earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, comes to Columbia State from Lutheran Hour Ministries, an International media and volunteer organization, located in St. Louis, Missouri where he managed a staff of 400 employees located in the United States, Canada, and 40 International offices. He began his new responsibilities as interim director of advancement on December 7.

"The current recession is forcing institutions of higher education, like Columbia State, to look at new and innovative ways to raise money. Enrollment continues to increase with a decrease in financial support from traditional sources of revenue," said Lewis. "It is really great to be back home near family, friends, and the communities that are so important to us."

Lewis' goals while at Columbia State include creating opportunities for the Columbia State Community College Foundation Board members, ambassadors, and community leaders to be actively involved in setting and reaching goals for the college and leading the advancement team in creating relationships with current and potential donors to support the mission of the college with their time, talent, and treasures.

Lewis has served on numerous boards for nonprofit organizations including the Tennessee Jaycee Foundation, Columbia State Community College Foundation, the Maury County Public Education Foundation and Kings Daughters School among others. He was to serve a six year term on the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, starting in 2002.

Lewis has been an active participant in the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Association of Lutheran Development Executives (ALDE), International Warehouse and Logistics Association (IWLA), Tennessee Automotive Manufacturer's Association (TAMA) and the Contract Packaging Association (CPA).

Social entrepreneurship is also an important part of Lewis' life. He has been active in activities at Washington University's Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneur Studies and with Innovate Venture Mentoring Service to mentor startup for profit and nonprofit organizations in their early stages of development. Lewis also currently mentors a student in the College of Business at Lipscomb University.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.