Tennessee Wesleyan University has announced plans for the University’s Winter 2023 Commencement exercises. The service will award more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Commencement for the Class of 2023 will take place at the University’s Townsend Hall Auditorium on Friday, December 8 at 7 p.m. The Honorable Michael Jenne is this year’s Commencement speaker.

Judge Michael Jenne graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, with Honors, in 1989. He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from Samford University Cumberland School of Law in 1995 where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. While in law school, Judge Jenne was a member of the Cumberland Law Review and served as the Chief Judge of the Trial Advocacy Board. He was also named to Who’s Who: American Law Students and was Vice President of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity.

Judge Jenne first practiced law with Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1997, he returned to his hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee, to form The Jenne Law Firm, a general litigation practice with his wife Nan Jenne and his father Roger Jenne. He also served as a Supreme Court of Tennessee Rule 31 General Civil Mediator and volunteered his time to provide pro bono legal services. Judge Jenne received an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating which is the highest rating for attorneys. Governor Bill Lee appointed him to serve as the Circuit Court Judge, Part I, for the Tenth Judicial District effective July 1, 2021, and was elected to this judicial position in 2022, representing Bradley, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk Counties.

Judge Jenne is active in his community having served as a Board Member for United Way, First Citizens Bank, BB&T Bank (now Truist Bank) Local Board, Rotary Club of Cleveland, Rotary Club Foundation, St. Nicholas School, and the Cleveland County Club. He is a past President of the Bradley County Bar Association, and previously served on the Tennessee Bar Foundation Grant Review Committee as well as a Hearing Committee Member for the Supreme Court of Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. He is currently a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Foundation, Tennessee Board of Law Examiners Investigation Committee, and the Tennessee Judicial Conference. He is also an active member of Broad Street United Methodist Church.
Judge Jenne and his wife, Nan, reside in Cleveland, and have two children, Ashton and Riley Jenne.

The Commencement Service will be livestreamed on the Tennessee Wesleyan University YouTube page for those wishing to watch at youtube.com/@tnwesleyan.

Tennessee Wesleyan University, founded in Athens, Tennessee, in 1857, is a four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church offering more than thirty undergraduate and graduate programs. Through strong academic programs, service-learning opportunities, student organizations, and athletics, Tennessee Wesleyan University helps students become enlightened servant leaders who believe in serving others, pursuing knowledge, and leading by example. For additional information about Tennessee Wesleyan University, visit www.tnwesleyan.edu or become a TWU fan on Facebook.