At the recent graduation ceremonies of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law (TBALL) class, BPJ Member Tannera George Gibson was surprised to hear that she had been awarded the 2019 Larry Dean Wilkes Award, named for the former TBA President who championed bar leadership across the state and passed away in 2011.

The award was voted on by secret ballot of the 35 participants in this year’s TBALL class, who got to know Tannera during their six-month commitment to the program, which looks at issues of law and leadership development across the state.

Trey Thacher, BPJ member and co-chair of the TBALL Steering Committee, said the criteria for the award include: leadership of the program experience; engagement in all parts of the program; service-oriented actions and initiatives; developing consensus within the class; and enhancing the education of the other class members through thoughtful and respectful debate.

“Tannera embodied these characteristics throughout the program, just as she does in her life and career,” said Thacher. “We should all be very proud. I most certainly am.”

Inset picture: Tannera Gibson accepts the Larry Dean Wilkes Award from Trey Thacher.