THE TENNESSEE Chamber of Commerce and Industry on has announced its formation of its Healthcare Advisory Council, through which the Chamber aims "to bring together leaders from across the healthcare ecosystem to address [Tennessee's] most pressing challenges and opportunities.

The Council's assigns priority to issues including workforce development, healthcare access and affordability, regulatory policy and innovation.

In its April 13 press release, the Chamber said members of the Healthcare Advisory Council "will engage directly with state and federal policymakers and regulators, help shape healthcare policy and legislative priorities, and collaborate with peers to share best practices and innovative solutions."

The new group "will serve as a collaborative forum for industry stakeholders to help shape the future of healthcare in Tennessee," according to the Chamber's April 13 press release.

CEO Josh Brown

Announcing the new council, Chamber President & CEO Josh Brown said "Healthcare is not only essential to the well-being of Tennesseans, it is a driving force behind our state’s economic success. The Healthcare Advisory Council brings the right leaders to the table to tackle complex challenges, strengthen our workforce, and ensure Tennessee remains at the forefront of innovation and quality care."

Brown said the new council is not designed to supplant the work of other actors in the policy and regulatory arenas. Rather, the council is meant to ensure business and industry participate directly in policy and regulatory conversations.

He noted that the Chamber will convene its annual Public Affairs Conference, Sept. 2-3, details here.

The Healthcare Advisory Council's initial 18 members are listed below.

The individual participating executives from each member in the new Council are not fixed, thus allowing each member organization latitude to designate different representatives as the Council deals with varying issues and tasks, Brown explained.

The Council's membership -- which spans healthcare-industry executives, providers, payers, innovators and industry partners -- is described by the Chamber as having been drawn from "a diverse network of healthcare executives, providers, payers, innovators, and industry partners."

The Healthcare Advisory Council's founding members have enduring interest in healthcare services, pharmaceuticals and related lifesciences. The members as of April 13:

• Ascension Saint Thomas
• Ballad Health
• Cigna
• Community Health Systems
• CVS Health
• HCA Healthcare
• LBMC
• Life Science Tennessee
• Lifepoint Health
• Merck & Co.
• National Healthcare Corporation
• Opella
• Oracle
• Pfizer
• Sevita
• Tennessee Hospital Association
• University of Tennessee
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Brown told VNC that by the time of the Chamber's Healthcare Summit, Dec. 16, 2025, momentum had grown in the direction of forming the Healthcare Advisory Council.

That Summit, backed by sponsors including HCA and was billed as bringing together "business leaders, employers, and healthcare experts to explore how shifting policies, workforce trends, and innovation are shaping the future of employee health and benefits."

The Chamber previously created an Infrastructure Council. Inline with that, an Infrastructure Summit is to be held by the Chamber on July 14 in Franklin, with Dallas-based Atmos Energy as lead sponsor, according to the Chamber website.

The Chamber has scheduled a dozen or more additional events of varying types during the balance of CY 2016, all of which is sure to keep the Chamber team busy.

VNC research shows that in addition to healthcare and infrastructure, the Chamber [(501(c)(6)] has long stated that it engages with state and federal policymakers and regulators to address healthcare and other legislative priorities, while also collaborating with peer-organizations to share best practices and innovative solutions.

Also noted: the Chamber and the Tennessee Automotive Manufacturers Association (TAMA) have an alliance agreement that enables the organizations to work together on events, programming, etc., and they do share a number of members in common, Brown confirmed.

The Chamber's Form 990 for FY 2024, available through Candid (fka Guidestar) shows the association had approximately $4.6 million total assets and more than $1.8 million net assets or fund balances, i.e., at the final year of predecessor Bradley Jackson's role as CEO.

CEO Brown, a native Tennessee now age 52, took-up his Chamber duties in January 2025, after completing nearly 15 years in government relations work with Pfizer, with duties in Nashville and in Washington, D.C. His LinkedIn profile is here.

He holds a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Lipscomb University.

He, his wife and their family reside in Williamson County. VNC