SK

Stacey Garrett Koju

Trustee at Fisk University

Stacey Garrett Koju concentrates her law practice in the areas of higher education, corporate transactions, immigration, health care, and government relations. Her practice includes business transactions and strategic legal advice, review, and negotiation of complex contracts, commercial loans and leases, estimation and mitigation of risk, internal corporate governance, employment, charitable giving and deaccessioning, gift deviation, and cy pres, and immigration-related matters. Stacey also serves as general counsel for many of her clients.

She is a founding member of Bone McAllester Norton PLLC and chair of the firm’s Board of Directors. Stacey says that founding the law firm is one of her most personally satisfying accomplishments. She is driven by her law partners and the firm’s staff who truly embody the firm’s motto, Law. Life. Passion. Stacey believes the energy of the firm’s attorneys and staff is the reason the firm forges extraordinary client relationships.

Stacey’s experience in serving as general counsel for her clients includes employment matters, executive contracts, compensation and severance negotiations, complex commercial contracts and disputes, risk management, regulatory compliance, and matters of corporate governance.

Stacey also counsels nonprofit organizations on best practices for ethical and accountability standards, board oversight and authority, and internal disputes. Stacey is experienced in managing and resolving internal and governmental investigations of for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

In 2003, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed Stacey to serve as a Commissioner on the Tennessee Human Rights Commission through 2009. In 2009, he reappointed Stacey to serve on the Commission through 2015, where she served as the chair. Bredesen also designated her to serve on a Judicial Redistricting Study Committee and the Committee to Study the Administration of the Death Penalty. Stacey was formerly Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. of Memphis. Early in her legal career, she served as Associate General Counsel for Background America, Inc. and AMICUS Staffing, Inc. and as Director of Legal Affairs for Corrections Partners, Inc.

A native Nashvillian, she is an avid runner and an adventure travel enthusiast. Even though she says she is afraid of heights, Stacey has rappelled twice down the side of a 27- story office building to benefit the Special Olympics of Tennessee and once down the side of a 20-story hotel to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. She and her husband enjoy adventure travel and have trekked to Mt. Everest Base Camp - at an elevation of 17,890 feet - as well as explored the Italian Dolomites.

Links

Timeline

  • Trustee

    Current role