Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Discusses the Value of Public Service with Student Government Association Members
Pepperdine University's Student Government Association (SGA) welcomed Bill Lee, the governor of Tennessee, as a special guest speaker for its weekly senate meeting on March 18, 2026. Reflecting on his seven-year tenure in the state’s highest office, Lee shared his unanticipated path to public service after decades spent in the private sector. A heart posture of service, Lee said, should be the fundamental quality for any leader.
“SGA has a very important role on campus, and I believe Bill’s work in his role as Tennessee governor shows to students just how needed servant leadership is. A goal of mine was to ensure our leaders realize that their work at Pepperdine matters,” says H. L. McCullough, SGA president for the 2025–26 term, who orchestrated Lee’s discussion with the senate.
Each member of SGA’s 20-member committee listened with intent as Lee recounted life stories ranging from his work in public office to those of personal reflection. The governor shared that the first portion of his life was devoted to running the Lee Company, a mechanical services business his grandfather started back in 1944. He became president of the enterprise in 1992. Yet at the time, public service was not a foreseen venture.
But while Lee was still working in business, he endured the unexpected death of his first wife. Lee explained that through profound grief he was prompted to reflect on what matters most in life. Questions on “How should we all go about things that matter?” were drawn to the forefront of his heart. And for Lee, this involved getting his boots on the ground in a new way—entering a life of public service.
“I’ve always wanted to be purposeful in my life,” Lee said, “and I thought this role [as governor] to be a higher purpose and a greater opportunity to directly impact lives in need of a voice.”
Bill Lee joined the meeting virtually from his office in Tennessee
The Tennessee governor shared that this background with the blue-collar workforce at the Lee Company informs his current policy making, which prioritizes the needs of everyday Tennesseans. He believes his role as governor is to “create an environment in which people in your community can thrive.” Lee’s main efforts include providing constituents “available jobs, good schools to send their children to, and a safe place to live.”
Asked to share some highlights of his time as governor, Lee expounded on legislation that he initiated concerning criminal justice reform. The bills focused on rehabilitation and reentry, primarily through the state’s Alternatives to Incarceration Act and the Reentry Success Act. As a man of deep faith, Lee related that for more than 30 years he had been involved in prison ministry, serving as a mentor to men during their time in incarceration. A full circle moment, Lee shares that one of the men he mentored stood next to him as he signed the two bills into effect in 2021.
Crucial advice from Lee to those interested in public service was to find ways to understand and consistently engage with those across party lines. As a former businessman by trade, Lee emphasized the value of his transferable skills, from budget management to working with employees towards a common vision.
“From day one,” Lee said, “the most important way to work together is remembering your common cause. Your colleagues will have different political views about how to accomplish things, but most people are there because they care about the people they serve. For a majority of lawmakers, collaboration is doable.”
McCullough shared that he plans to continue a tradition of inviting public leaders to speak to the SGA senate, considering such events invaluable learning experiences for undergraduates. For example, in addition to the governor, former Tennessee congressman Bart Gordon recently spoke at a senate meeting.
As a native Tennessean himself, McCullough takes Lee’s example of valuing the needs of his constituents to heart, saying that as the student body president, he often casually chats with students in Payson Library to better understand the prominent needs of his community. He also shared that a number of brand new initiatives to improve student life have been passed by the senate over the past year. These include new health initiatives, new collaborations with dining services, and a rebrand of how the senate gets feedback from its town hall meetings. All this work, to McCullough, serves as valuable experience for his future gubernatorial pursuits.
The importance of such servant leadership was emphasized by Lee in his closing remarks. “As you contemplate what God has for you,” he said, “it may be different from what you expected, but our God is a redeemer and if you let Him, He will take what happens in your life and use it for good. Whatever your plans are, take your hearts and apply them to serving those around you in the years ahead. I ask and pray for God’s grace on you all at Pepperdine—the future leaders of this country.”