When the College of Nursing’s $85 million, 117,00-square-foot Croley Nursing Building opens in 2025, it will house a simulated apartment where nursing students can learn and practice home health care skills. The space will be named after longtime college supporters Lisa Edwards Reed (BSN ’86) and her husband, Greg Reed (Liberal Arts ’85, Law ’88) of Franklin, Tennessee.
“Lisa really exhibits the heart of a Volunteer nurse,” said Victoria Niederhauser, dean of the college. “She has been extremely dedicated to the university as a whole and the College of Nursing. She’s had a long, distinguished career as a nurse leader, and she has helped transform home health care in Middle Tennessee.”
Reed retired in 2018 after a 32-year nursing career and has since provided consulting and assistance with a new start-up company.
After graduating from UT, she worked in the critical care unit at UT Medical Center. When she transitioned to home health care, she found her passion.
“Providing care in the home allowed the opportunity to develop relationships with families and patients,” she said. “I loved having the ability to teach while providing care. Teaching someone how to manage their health makes a long-term difference in their lives.”
In 1992 Reed went to work for National HealthCare Corporation as director of homecare operations. In 2009 she was promoted to vice president of the Homecare Division, putting her in charge of 36 agencies, two regional offices, and 1,000 home health care nurses.
Over the years, Reed has served on multiple committees and foundations related to state and national health care organizations. She also volunteers with UT Promise as a mentor for first-generation nursing students and with Saddle Up!, a Franklin-based therapeutic horseback riding academy that works with disabled children.
A nine-year member of the College of Nursing Advisory Board, Reed will become the board’s chair in January 2024. She has been on UT’s National Alumni Board of Directors for nearly four years and is currently president-elect.
The Reeds’ support of UT has included annual gifts and a planned bequest. They have contributed to the College of Nursing building fund and sponsored the new home health care suite.
“This university provided the foundation for success we have achieved. The College of Nursing’s curriculum, its faculty, and the support in general were so important to me,” said Reed, who was honored with the Dr. Sylvia E. Hart Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019.
Reed applauds Niederhauser’s leadership and the dedication of the faculty.
“What we’re doing in the College of Nursing is not just clinical education—it’s confidence building and leadership training. It’s helping students understand the importance of taking care of yourself as well as others,” Reed said. “I believe the education that UT nursing students are getting is head and shoulders above that offered by most colleges and programs right now.”
Niederhauser said supporters like the Reeds help fuel the college’s success.
“We are so indebted to alumni who share their time, talents, and energy with us,” Niederhauser said. “I think Lisa is willing to do whatever it takes to have our college recognized for the good work we’re doing.”