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Phillips leaves Vanderbilt to join mayor’s office as chief of staff
Bill Phillips Bill R. Phillips, who has led Vanderbilt’s federal government relations effort for the past five years, has joined the administration of newly elected Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell as chief of staff.
Phillips, who chaired Purcell’s transition team after the Sept. 9 election, will oversee the operation of the mayor’s office.
“It was a difficult decision to leave Vanderbilt,” said Phillips, who had served most recently as Vanderbilt’s associate vice chancellor for university relations and director of government relations. “While I never dreamed that the new mayor would ask me to do this for him, I am pleased and enthused about the chance to contribute. I have had the opportunity to do this type of work through the years at the federal and state levels, and always enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to being involved at the municipal level.”
A veteran in national affairs, Phillips joined Vanderbilt as chief of staff for university relations in 1994 after serving a year as a visiting professional scholar at The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt. In his five years at Vanderbilt, Phillips assumed a number of additional responsibilities, including acting director of security and oversight of the former Office of News and Public Affairs and the Office of Publications and Design.
“Bill has made a great contribution during his time at Vanderbilt,” said Jeff Carr, vice chancellor for university relations and general counsel. “He will make a great contribution to Mayor Purcell and the Metropolitan Government, and we look forward to working with him in his new capacity.”
Phillips’ career before Vanderbilt included serving as a senior executive in Department of Education and Office of Personnel under President Bush. He also has held a number of political posts, including chief of staff for the Republican National Committee.
Purcell and Phillips have worked together on the annual Family Reunion, a public policy conference moderated by Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore and held for the past three years on the Vanderbilt campus. The Child and Family Policy Center at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, which Purcell formerly directed, is one of the conference’s sponsors.
In order to complete work on pending projects and facilitate transition, Phillips has agreed to serve as a consultant for Vanderbilt on federal relations during the next few months. He will not be involved in any Metro- or state- related issues.
Photos by Billy Kingsley
Incoming mayor Bill Purcell (left) speaks at Hume Fogg after taking the oath of office while former Mayor Phil Bredesen listens in the background.
Brenda Gilmore (above) takes the oath of office for her seat in District 1 of the Metropolitan Council.
