Dr. Craig Steven Pickett, Jr.
Dr. Craig Steven Pickett, Jr. is an executive leader in workplace culture, employee engagement, community engagement, and leadership development. He currently serves as Director of Workplace Culture and Early Career Development at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he advises executive leadership on culture, engagement, and retention strategies that impact more than 8,000 employees across 21 counties in East Tennessee. In this role, he oversees the organization’s culture committee, designs employee engagement strategies, and builds cross-functional partnerships to strengthen inclusion, trust in leadership, and organizational alignment. He also leads enterprise-wide organizational development, providing team members and executives with training and development opportunities that advance personal growth, professional excellence, patient care, and community success. Additionally, he directs the medical center’s youth and pathway programs, which reach over 2,000 high school and college students each year through experiential learning, shadowing, internships, and clinical rotations in both clinical and non-clinical roles.
With more than 15 years of experience spanning higher education, healthcare, and nonprofit leadership, Dr. Pickett has held key leadership roles at both the University of Tennessee and on the national stage. Prior to his role at UTMC, he worked for the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, where he provided statewide leadership on engagement practices for faculty, staff, and students. Dr. Pickett also served as the former National Executive Director for The Gamma Beta Phi Society, a national nonprofit academic and service organization, where he successfully managed nearly 90 chapters at community colleges, private institutions, and public research universities across the United States. Moreover, he provided strategic executive leadership to an organization of over 100,000 members since the society’s founding. In that role, he frequently delivered keynote addresses on leadership, character, and academic excellence to faculty, staff, students, and parents across the nation, while overseeing the organization’s operational, financial, and strategic growth.
An engaging facilitator and trainer, Dr. Pickett has delivered hundreds of workshops and keynote presentations on workplace culture, leadership, and professional development to audiences ranging from frontline staff to executive boards. His passion for building inclusive environments has earned him numerous honors, including Knoxville’s 40 Under 40, the Southern Association for College Student Affairs Dissertation of the Year Award, and the Knoxville Area Urban League Volunteer of the Year Award.
Beyond his professional work, Dr. Pickett is deeply invested in his community. He serves as a Commissioner for the Knoxville Utilities Board, a member of the African American Equity Restoration Taskforce, Vice Chair of the Knoxville Area Urban League National Achievers Society, and a member of the Alpha Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He has also served as Vice President of the Knoxville Area Urban League Young Professionals and as Chair-Elect for Girl Talk, Inc.
Dr. Pickett earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, his M.A. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and his B.A. in Political Science from Davidson College. He aims to provide stakeholders with practical strategies, renewed purpose, and a deeper commitment to building workplaces and communities where all people can thrive.
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Shante Southwood
 Strategic and results-driven HR leader with over six years of experience aligning human capital strategy with institutional goals in complex, mission-driven environments. Currently serving as HR Business Partner Manager at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Shante partners with executive leadership to drive organizational effectiveness across scientific directorates. Her expertise spans workforce planning, DEI-focused talent acquisition, employee engagement, and HR analytics. A certified SHRM-CP professional, Shante brings a data-informed approach to cultural transformation, compliance, and performance management. She is deeply engaged in her community and passionate about creating inclusive, high-performing workplaces. |