Disability Rights Tennessee Announces New Executive Director, Anna Bass
View Press Release in PDF – English
NASHVILLE, TN. – Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is thrilled to announce that Anna Bass will move into the position of Executive Director in March 2025.
Earlier this year, James DiMarco, DRT Board of Directors President, announced that after 12 years of bold leadership, Disability Rights Tennessee’s Executive Director, Lisa Primm, plans to retire in March 2025. A Search Committee was assembled with Board and DRT staff representatives to find Lisa’s successor.
“The Board of Directors of Disability Rights Tennessee is proud to announce that Anna Bass has been unanimously elected to serve as our new Executive Director,” said DiMarco. “Mrs. Bass’ credentials and reputation are beyond reproach. I would like to thank the Search Committee for working tirelessly to ensure we identified and selected the best possible candidate. We look forward to this new era of leadership at Disability Rights Tennessee, confident in the knowledge that Mrs. Bass will continue the agency’s legacy of greatness!”
Since 1978, Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) has been a dedicated member of the disability and mental health advocacy movement. All of DRT’s work is guided by the community served, people living with disabilities and/or mental illness and their support networks. Anna Bass emphasized this by saying, “DRT is a very unique workplace, we have a very unique culture, and we do really important work. My promise to you as the new Executive Director is that every day I will come in, as I have since choosing to move into leadership in this agency, with two groups at the forefront of my mind – Tennesseans with lived experience of disability/mental illness and our DRT team.”
“The future of DRT is filled with possibilities to further the vision of a state where Tennesseans with disabilities live, work, and participate in a community without harm, discrimination, or barriers,” said Bass. “It is my honor to be entrusted with leading our amazing team into the next chapter. WE are going to do great things!”
While the DRT family is sad to see Lisa leave the agency, we look forward to furthering the work that we do to make sure that Tennesseans living with disabilities and/or mental illness live safe and fulfilling lives in their community under Anna’s leadership.
“Anna is an invaluable member of our agency,” said Primm. “Her decades of service to DRT have demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and passion for our mission. Anna has been a driving force behind the success of this organization, and I could not feel more confident about passing this torch to Anna. She has been pivotal in establishing the current agency culture, and most important, her commitment to advocating for people with disabilities has been beyond inspiring. I have no doubt that she will propel DRT to the next level in her new role as Executive Director!”
Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy system in Tennessee, proudly serving people living with disabilities and/or mental health issues across all 95 counties.
You can read more about Lisa’s announcement and retirement plans here.