About Me
Born & Raised Giles County
I'm proud to meet new folks and let them know I'm from Giles County! Raised by a single father with grandparent & community support, I was taught that teamwork, hard work and education would be the best investment I could make in myself... and I thoroughly believe that to this day! I have three wonderful children and my awesome wife of 22-years, Brooke Jett Vanderpool, who was born and raised in Lynnville, TN. The five of us make up our HOME TEAM. We are an outgoing bunch and love to travel and grow our friend group - but we always love returning to our roots. While tragedy and shortcomings have been no stranger to us, we choose HOPE and FAITH in this LiFE... And we want the best of what hard work, teamwork, sacrifice & perseverance can achieve.
Make no mistake about it... I am REPUBLICAN by choice.
I am a man of conviction. God made me understanding, compassionate, charitable & HUMBLE by nature.
My Bio
- CRESCENTVIEW RAISED!
- MEMBER OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
- GRADUATED GILES COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL IN 1996.
- ATTENDED PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY AS POST GRADUATE & STUDENT ATHLETE.
- ATTENDED VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY AS A WALK-ON STUDENT ATHLETE.
- GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH - SEWANEE AS A STUDENT ATHLETE.
- OBTAINED ENGLISH AND SECONDARY EDUCATION DEGREES AT SEWANEE.
- STARTED SAYiWON'T CLOTHING (cont.)
- COACHED AT WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY FALL 2002.
- TAUGHT/ COACHED AT RICHLAND HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2003.
- BECAME FULL TIME ENTREPRENEUR SUMMER 2003.
- OPENED THE SAYiWON'T Facility in 2017.
- ELECTED TO GILES COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD IN 2018.
My involvement on the School Board
I attended my first school board meeting in the fall of 2017. It was dysfunctional to say the least... and I wanted in!
I became the school board chairman in the Fall of 2020 and we eventually brought together a board that has excelled above and beyond what a typical board had looked like before. We carefully selected one of the best Director of Schools yet, who established a Central Office that works as good if not better than any professional team I have ever been around. Our Board, Our Director, Our Supervisors, Our Administrators, Our Teachers and Our Support Staff are an unparalleled group of professionals WORKING TOGETHER FOR Giles County.
In 2018, by no easy means, we began scrapping out a plan to start renovating our existing schools and addressing long overdue repairs. Carefully and strategically we started saving, budgeting and utilizing our Fund Balance to initially pinpoint 42% of our student population and the schools that housed them as the priority schools to start with ... all 3 of which are the oldest schools in the county. We worked through COVID and broke ground on the first school in 2022.
I'm proud to say that GCHS has been completed. Bridgeforth Middle is all but wrapped up. Pulaski Elementary has started and should be completed by Fall 2026. Our sights are now set on identifying the next school... 5 are left and we must continue to plan, save and promote the needed upgrades for the buildings that house our county's best and brightest.
I have been the lead & point of contact for these massive undertakings. I have thoroughly enjoyed the work with the engineers and architects along with our Construction Manager at Risk and Supervisor. I would argue that I now have a minor degree in school/ building renovations at this time!
I can't say this without recognizing all the school board members and how they have worked together to make sure all decisions have been Financially Responsible and made to move the needle towards progress.
It will be with this same FOCUS and DEDICATION that I hope to help tackle the County's infrastructure & planning needs. While there are many, there is a way forward & it MUST include a level of fiscal responsibility with the least amount of financial burden to be placed on our citizens.