News & Notes | UT’s TN Manufacturing Extension Partnership will not go away
Nashville Innovation Summit scheduled for August 14 and 15 at the Music City Center.
From Nashville but with Statewide Implications:
In an email late last week, Dwaine Raper, Director of the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership, part of the University of Tennessee’s Center for Industrial Services (UTCIS), shared some very good news.
He wrote that UTCIS had “received notice that our NIST (National Institute of Standards) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) funding will continue through June 2026 as part of a new five-year cooperative agreement. We are excited about the good news and the opportunity to continue serving Tennessee’s manufacturers as the state’s MEP program.”
Raper wanted to be sure that those who had been asked to write letters of support or send emails were aware of the positive news.
From Knoxville:
The Knoxville Area Urban League (KAUL) has named Dr. Laurie Shanderson Evans as its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Shanderson, Founder and CEO of Accreditation Insights, will assume the leadership position on July 7.
Shanderson Evans was selected from a competitive pool of candidates considered during a national search conducted in cooperation with the National Urban League and was unanimously approved by the KAUL board of directors. She brings more than 30 years of experience in senior administration and higher education leadership, has earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA), and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
“Dr. Shanderson Evans brings not only decades of leadership experience, but also a deep understanding of the systems that shape opportunity and equity in our communities,” said Ursula Bailey, Chair of the CEO Search Committee and KAUL Board Chair elect. “Her expertise and strategic vision for community-building, fundraising and development and impact-focused initiatives, coupled with her commitment to inclusion, education, and empowerment, make her the right leader at the right time for the Knoxville Area Urban League.”
Shanderson Evans founded Accreditation Insights, a consultancy that supports educational institutions in developing customized strategies for accreditation, certification, and regulatory compliance. As a result of her efforts, she has helped educational institutions navigate these complex processes successfully.
From Nashville:
Early bird registration has come and gone, but regular registration is still underway for the 2025 edition of the Nashville Innovation Summit.
Scheduled for August 14 and 15 at the Music City Center, the two-day event includes curated tracks led by experts with hands-on experiences to develop attendees’ skills and prepare their organizationa for even more innovation and opportunity. And just like in the past, the Summit will provide the tech community opportunities to present and build relationships with hundreds of tech professionals in our region.
In its second year, the Nashville Innovation Summit expands on the success of the nine-year-running Nashville Analytics Summit. The Nashville Innovation Summit broadens its scope with data, artificial intelligence (AI), leadership, and innovation programming. It is organized by the Greater Nashville Technology Council.
To register, click here.
Several More from Music City:
Dxcover, a United Kingdom-based company improving early cancer detection with its AI-powered multiomic technology, has announced the launch of its United States headquarters in Nashville. The move reflects Dxcover’s commitment to commercializing its PANAROMIC™ cancer test in the world’s biggest life sciences market.
The company’s innovative Drop. Dry. Detect. ™ approach offers a cost-effective, high-throughput, non-invasive cancer screening platform. The new facilities will allow the company to forge partnerships with local biotech and healthcare organizations, advance local manufacturing of its innovative infrared spectroscopy platform, and serve as a research and development hub aimed at extending Dxcover’s leadership in cancer diagnostics innovation.
Matthew J. Baker, CEO and Co-Founder of Dxcover, said, “The launch of our U.S. headquarters in Nashville represents a major value-building milestone for Dxcover as we accelerate our mission to make early cancer detection accessible everywhere. Nashville is well known for its dynamic business environment in the healthcare field, and we look forward to collaborating with research institutes, health organizations, and biotech start-ups to promote precision medicine and enhance early cancer detection solution access. Organizations such as Life Science Tennessee and BioTN are vital to the enhancement of life sciences innovation, and Dxcover is eager to be an active member of this growing collective.”
Aegis Sciences Corporation, a leading national healthcare and forensic toxicology laboratory, has announced the successful completion of a $170 million debt refinancing, advised by CoveView Advisors. Aegis is a portfolio company of Abry Partners, a leading sector-focused North American private equity firm. In addition to contributions from new debt investors led by Kayne Anderson, Abry Partners is providing incremental growth equity capital to support Aegis’s ambitious expansion plans. As part of the transaction, Aegis also retains an undrawn revolving credit facility, which will be used to finance future growth investments.
“We appreciate the tremendous support from both existing and new investors as we successfully close this important financing for the company,” said Dr. Frank Basile, CEO of Aegis. “Aegis’s track record of product leadership, strong organic growth, and accelerating operational efficiency places us in a strong position to fully leverage our best-in-class platform in what remains a highly fragmented sector.”
Founded in 1990, Aegis Sciences Corporation is a laboratory sciences company that provides science-driven testing and consulting services for clients such as healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, professional and amateur sports organizations, leading college and university athletic programs, Fortune 500 corporations, and government agencies throughout the United States.
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