About Us
For over a decade, organizations across Tennessee have benefitted from Jenny and Randy Boyd’s generous spirit and commitment to making their home state a better place. Following a long, rich history of personal giving, the Boyd family launched the Boyd Foundation in 2017. Focused on education, arts and preservation, animal welfare and mental health, the Boyd Foundation is both intentional and comprehensive in their giving approach, incorporating the passions of Jenny, Randy and their sons and daughter-in-law, Harrison, Thomas and Lindsey.
Our Board Members
Randy Boyd
Jenny Boyd
Thomas & Lindsey Boyd
Harrison Boyd
Leadership
Krissy DeAlejandro, Executive Director
Chad Dykes, Controller
Meet Our Team
Randy Boyd
Randy Boyd has served as UT’s 26th president since November of 2018. Boyd serves as the chief executive officer of a statewide university system. The flagship campus in Knoxville includes the Space Institute in Tullahoma and the statewide Institute of Agriculture. The UT System also includes campuses in Chattanooga, Pulaski and Martin; the Health Science Center in Memphis; and the Institute of Public Service. The UT System also manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership, where Boyd serves as co-Chairman.
In 1991, Boyd founded Knoxville-based Radio Systems Corporation, a company that produces over 4,000 pet related products under the brand names PetSafe, Invisible Fence, ScoopFree and SportDOG. The company employs more than 1,400 people with offices in six countries around the world.
Boyd also owns Boyd Sports, LLC, which owns five minor league baseball teams including the Tennessee Smokies.
In 2007, Boyd began a journey transitioning from entrepreneur and businessman to full time public servant. Boyd is a founder and Chairman of tnAchieves, a non-profit which has helped send over 133,000 students to community college free of tuition and fees. This success led Governor Haslam to invite him to serve as Special Advisor on Higher Education in 2013. During his tenure, he is credited with being the architect of the Drive to 55 and the Tennessee Promise. In 2015, Governor Haslam recruited him back to serve as Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. During his tenure his team recruited 52,000 new jobs and $9 billion in new investment in the State. He also founded and co-Chaired the Governor’s Rural Task Force and Chaired the Governor’s Workforce Sub-Cabinet.
Randy and Jenny Boyd have dedicated their lives to giving back. In 2018, the couple formed the Boyd Foundation to further promote youth education, mental health, the arts and animal welfare. Among the Foundation’s many philanthropic commitments is the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research and Boyd Venture Challenge seed grant program for student entrepreneurs, both through the Haslam College of Business at UT Knoxville.
Boyd is the first in his family to graduate from college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on industrial management from UT Knoxville. He also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies with a focus on foreign policy from the University of Oklahoma.
When not working for UT, Boyd enjoys running and has run over 85 half marathons and 47 full marathons, including one in Antarctica. But his favorite time is spent as Jenny’s husband of 37 years, father to his two sons, and being Poppi to his two granddaughters.
Jenny Boyd
From a young age, Jenny found passion in the arts: dancing in the Knoxville Ballet Company and later the theater program at Bearden High School. She also performed with the Atlanta and New Mexico Ballet Companies. Jenny is committed to preserving Appalachian heritage. She owns Boyd’s Jig and Reel, a Scottish-themed musical pub in Knoxville’s Old City. Its mission is to preserve and promote Appalachia and Scotland’s shared music heritage. She is often at Jig and Reel’s weekly Old Time jam sessions playing fiddle, mandolin or banjo. Jenny’s leadership has impacted a variety of Knoxville and East Tennessee organizations. She has previously served on the board of directors for Young-Williams Animal Center, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, East Tennessee History Center and the Historic Tennessee Theater. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Appalachia, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and Friends of the Smokies. In her career, Jenny served in the ROTC department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and as a court reporter for WattsBoyd Court Reporting. Born in Munich, Germany, Jenny moved to Knoxville as a child. She attended Bearden High School and the University of Tennessee. Jenny and Randy live in Knoxville, Tennessee. They have two sons, a daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and two dogs, Oskar and Jolene.
Thomas Boyd
Thomas Boyd is a restaurateur/property developer in downtown Knoxville. He currently serves on the board for local nonprofits such as WDVX, Two Bikes, and the Old City Association.
Lindsey Boyd
Lindsey Boyd is a downtown Knoxville resident and advocate that serves on several boards and committees for non-profits. She is currently involved with Helen Ross McNabb Center, Boys and Girls Club of East Tennessee, Knoxville Zoo and Knoxville Breaststroke’s. Lindsey’s goal with her time as a community volunteer and donor is to bridge the gaps between existing non-profit organizations and local businesses to further strengthen our downtown community.
Krissy DeAlejandro
Krissy DeAlejandro is the Executive Director of tnAchieves, a scholarship and mentoring program that supports students as they transition from high school through post-secondary. Launched in 2008, tnAchieves currently serves as the partnering organization for Governor Haslam’s Tennessee Promise and has served nearly 450,000 students since inception. As the leader of the largest college access and success nonprofit in the country, Krissy is deeply committed to increasing the number of Tennessee students with a degree. Prior to her work with tnAchieves, Krissy served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Knox County Mayor where she focused on workforce development and higher education initiatives. Raised in a small town in rural Tennessee, Krissy is first in her family to attend college. She received her bachelor’s degree from Sewanee: University of the South. She pursued her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Tennessee. Krissy and her husband, Jeffrey, have three children, Oliver, Beatrice and Henry.