Ambassador Victor Ashe
Ambassador Victor Ashe, a native of Knoxville, TN, graduated from Yale University with a BA in history in 1967 and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee, College of Law in 1974. He joined the TCWN Board of Directors in October 2009.
Ambassador Ashe was a member of Senator Howard Baker’s congressional staff. He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1968 where he remained for six years before serving another nine years in the Tennessee Senate. During that time he made notable contributions in advancing state environmental legislation, including the creation of the Tennessee’s Natural Areas Preservation Act, Scenic Rivers Act and Scenic Routes Act. He was President of the US Conference of Mayors in 1994-1995. Ambassador Ashe began his position as Mayor of Knoxville in 1988 and continued for 16 years. During his span as Mayor, Ashe added almost 1,000 acres of parkland to the city and extended 30 miles to Knoxville greenways.
He backed the effort to make KUB comply with the Federal Clean Water Act to prevent sewage from entering Knoxville’s streams and the Tennessee River. Also, the Ambassador strongly supports efforts for KUB to be more moderate in its tree cutting practices and is sensitive to rate payers’s concerns. Ashe was appointed as the Ambassador to Poland in 2004 by President George W. Bush. Upon his return to Knoxville, Ambassador Ashe was appointed by President Obama to the Broadcasting Board of Governors which oversees Voice of America. Ambassador Ashe serves on the boards of American Rivers Association and the National Recreation and Parks Association.