Distinguished Alumnus Spruell Driver
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Although Spruell Driver does not work directly in the engineering field, he knows the value of a degree from the University of Tennessee College of Engineering: "priceless."
Driver, who graduated in 1987 with a degree in industrial engineering, is currently an attorney with the law firm of Waller, Lansden, Dortch & Davis LLP. Driver's practice focuses on commercial real estate law, and he is responsible for working with business clients in all types of commercial real estate transactions, including acquiring, developing, selling and/or leasing property.
Driver was born and raised in Nashville, Tenn. When he began looking at universities, it was the Minority Engineering Scholarship Program (MESP) that attracted Driver to the University of Tennessee.
"The program was second to none," said Driver. "Equally attractive was the tremendous array of corporate partners, such as my co-op employer, Eastman Chemical Company, who underwrote the scholarship and provided engineering co-op assignments to scholarship recipients. The MESP had been in existence for almost 10 years when I enrolled as a freshman, and it had a very successful track record under the leadership of Mr. Fred Brown, the director, and Dr. Andrew Spickard, who was the assistant dean of engineering at that time."
Driver chose to major in industrial engineering and was impressed by the mentoring he received from many COE administrators and faculty.
"I remember people like engineering professors Hal Aiken and Dan Doulet from the Department of Industrial Engineering (IE) as well as Osama Solomon from the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and of course Dr. Bill Snyder, who was dean of the college at that time," added Driver. "They really helped us to excel in our engineering studies."
After receiving his bachelor's degree, Driver, who was also named as a UT Torchbearer, the highest honor for UT students, decided to attend Duke Law School, where he received a law degree in 1991.
After graduating from Duke Law School, Driver accepted a position as a corporate attorney with Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tenn. He returned to Nashville in 1996 as an attorney with Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell, P.C.
In 1998, Driver was named a legislative attorney for the Tennessee General Assembly and served as Special Counsel to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, working closely with many House committees and caucuses.
Driver was chosen as director for the Judicial Education and Program Services Division of the Administrative Office of the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2000, where he managed statewide programs related to dispute resolution, judicial education and court improvement and reporting services. He returned to private legal practice in 2002.
Driver has been a strong supporter of the University of Tennessee, serving as president of the UT National Alumni Association in 2004-2005. He traveled throughout the state and beyond, representing the university's more than 300,000 alumni. Driver also served as National Chair of the association's Annual Giving Program in 2005-2006 and was also member of the COE Board of Advisors.
"The education that I received from UT was priceless," said Driver. "I appreciate the difference it made and continues to make in my life, and I want to do all that I can to help ensure that future generations of students can reap the rewards of the outstanding educational opportunities available at UT."
Driver was the commencement speaker for the University of Tennessee's 2007 Winter Commencement Ceremonies. When asked what he would say to today's engineering students, he offers the following:
"First, master the fundamentals of your engineering course of study. Second, but no less important, hone your written communications skills by taking additional coursework beyond that traditionally required for engineering students. Third, read the book titled The World is Flat and find a way to spend a semester studying and living abroad. American professionals in all disciplines must continuously strive to gain a better understanding of the new world economy in which we must compete."
Driver lives in Nashville with his wife, Elaine Willis Driver, a 1985 UT graduate, and their two children Elise, 8, and Spruell III, 2.