Patricia Ann Pierce retired from Vanderbilt University in August 2007 after a career
of almost thirty years as the Senior Director of the Opportunity Development Center
(ODC). She was responsible for all University and Medical Center matters related to
equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, regulations, and guidelines. She
designed and conducted workshops on a variety of topics related to equity and
diversity and she served as a fact finder and mediator of grievances filed by faculty,
staff and students. Previously she worked as Compliance Director for the State of
Tennessee Human Rights Commission.
Ms. Pierce achieved outstanding success in the academic world and is recognized
internationally as an advocate for equity and diversity. She has conducted
numerous workshops on disability and race issues, gender equity, sexual
harassment, and cultural diversity for Vanderbilt, Nashville community organizations,
and at regional, national, and international conferences. She has given her time to
many community and national organizations. Not only has she been a volunteer but
she has also served in a leadership capacity in most of the organizations in which
she’s been involved, which include serving as President of the Nashville and Middle
Tennessee YWCA, CABLE (Nashville’s premier women’s professional organization),
Women in Numbers (WIN), Nashville Mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with
Disabilities, International Association on Higher Education and Disability, Women in
Higher Education in Tennessee (WHET) and as Vice President for ATHENA
International Board of Directors. She is the recipient of numerous awards including
the Rotary International Jean Harris Award, YWCA Academy of Women of
Achievement, the WHET June Anderson Award, the 2003 Nashville ATHENA Award,
the 2006 Tennessee Economic Council’s Excellence & Equity Award, and
Tennessee State University’s 2008 Woman of Legend and Merit Award. She has
been inducted to the Tennessee Chapter of the International Women’s Forum and
selected to represent Tennessee as a National Delegate to Drexel University’s
Vision2020 Project. She is a graduate of Leadership America, Leadership
Nashville, and the Oxford University Roundtable. She currently serves as Chair of
the Board of Commissioners for the State of Tennessee Human Rights Commission;
Historian for CABLE Board of Directors; Nashville ATHENA Award Committee
member; Tennessee Economic Council Foundation Scholarship Chair, and Nashville
Sports Council Board member. She was the Committee Chair for the 2008 Women’s
Southeastern Conference (SEC) Basketball Tournament; a member of the 2011
Women’s SEC Tournament Planning Committee, and currently is a member of the
Legacy Committee for the 2014 Women’s NCAA Final Four.
She has a BS degree from the University of Tennessee. She completed the Bryn
Mawr University Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration and the
National Institute for Leadership Development at Arizona State.
She is married to Jacky Goss. They have two sons and four grandchildren.
of almost thirty years as the Senior Director of the Opportunity Development Center
(ODC). She was responsible for all University and Medical Center matters related to
equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, regulations, and guidelines. She
designed and conducted workshops on a variety of topics related to equity and
diversity and she served as a fact finder and mediator of grievances filed by faculty,
staff and students. Previously she worked as Compliance Director for the State of
Tennessee Human Rights Commission.
Ms. Pierce achieved outstanding success in the academic world and is recognized
internationally as an advocate for equity and diversity. She has conducted
numerous workshops on disability and race issues, gender equity, sexual
harassment, and cultural diversity for Vanderbilt, Nashville community organizations,
and at regional, national, and international conferences. She has given her time to
many community and national organizations. Not only has she been a volunteer but
she has also served in a leadership capacity in most of the organizations in which
she’s been involved, which include serving as President of the Nashville and Middle
Tennessee YWCA, CABLE (Nashville’s premier women’s professional organization),
Women in Numbers (WIN), Nashville Mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with
Disabilities, International Association on Higher Education and Disability, Women in
Higher Education in Tennessee (WHET) and as Vice President for ATHENA
International Board of Directors. She is the recipient of numerous awards including
the Rotary International Jean Harris Award, YWCA Academy of Women of
Achievement, the WHET June Anderson Award, the 2003 Nashville ATHENA Award,
the 2006 Tennessee Economic Council’s Excellence & Equity Award, and
Tennessee State University’s 2008 Woman of Legend and Merit Award. She has
been inducted to the Tennessee Chapter of the International Women’s Forum and
selected to represent Tennessee as a National Delegate to Drexel University’s
Vision2020 Project. She is a graduate of Leadership America, Leadership
Nashville, and the Oxford University Roundtable. She currently serves as Chair of
the Board of Commissioners for the State of Tennessee Human Rights Commission;
Historian for CABLE Board of Directors; Nashville ATHENA Award Committee
member; Tennessee Economic Council Foundation Scholarship Chair, and Nashville
Sports Council Board member. She was the Committee Chair for the 2008 Women’s
Southeastern Conference (SEC) Basketball Tournament; a member of the 2011
Women’s SEC Tournament Planning Committee, and currently is a member of the
Legacy Committee for the 2014 Women’s NCAA Final Four.
She has a BS degree from the University of Tennessee. She completed the Bryn
Mawr University Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration and the
National Institute for Leadership Development at Arizona State.
She is married to Jacky Goss. They have two sons and four grandchildren.
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