Chair

JOHN WINEMILLER

John Winemiller is a member of Merchant & Gould’s litigation team in the Knoxville office. In addition to intellectual property litigation, his legal practice and background includes a variety of commercial litigation matters, including the defense of class action, toxic tort and product liability suits, as well as securities, contractual, real estate and employment disputes.

As an attorney who represents a broad range of intellectual property clients from electronic pet products manufacturers and automotive parts suppliers to home builders and internet entrepreneurs, Winemiller is continually challenged to learn about new businesses and technologies and to apply legal principles in new and changing environments. His ability to understand and articulate complex concepts in a way that decision-makers can understand helps him to proactively and effectively assist his clients in protecting their intellectual property assets.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Winemiller earned a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in music history and theory from the University of Chicago, where he taught before joining the faculty of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His academic research focused on the nexus between the creative process and 18th century conceptions of intellectual property. His fascination with the theory of ownership of ideas led him to law school and, ultimately, to Merchant & Gould.

Winemiller serves on the diversity and conflicts committees at the firm. He represents arts groups, civil rights groups and disability advocacy groups pro bono. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, historic preservation, music performance, cooking, exercise and travel.

TREASURER

Gloria M. Garner

Gloria Garner has dedicated her life to service. Her career with the Knoxville Area Urban League (KAUL) spanned 38 years from 1968 to her retirement in 2006.

Garner’s career began as a community organizer, and she was responsible for organizing community groups to address social problems in three large target areas and to also provide case management. She later became the housing and employment counselor. In this position she facilitated recruitment, counseling, referrals, placement and interviewing.

In 1995, Garner accepted the position of employment and business development manager and in 1997 was promoted to vice president of internal/external affairs. As KAUL vice president, she received numerous awards and recognition. She still serves on advisory boards and committees, including the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission, Lonsdale Homecoming Committee and Midway Rehabilitation Board of Directors.

She was the 2002 recipient of the prestigious Whitney M. Young Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for her service to the Knoxville Area Urban League. She also is a member of the Quarter Century Club of the National Urban League.

Garner is a native of Morristown, Tennessee, and attended the University of Tennessee, majoring in child development. She is a longtime member of First Calvary Baptist Church in Lonsdale.

Daniel P. Murphy

Daniel Murphy is a professor of accounting at the University of Tennessee and specializes in federal taxation. He joined the faculty in 1990 after completing his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and served as department head from 2003 to 2012. He is a CPA and previously worked with two international accounting firms.

Murphy has won numerous awards for teaching excellence including the Pugh & Company Accounting Faculty Excellence Award and the John Moore Award.

Murphy is involved in professional and community service. He is active in the American Taxation Association and served as vice president and on the board. He completed a term as president of the American Accounting Association’s Accounting Programs Leadership Group during which he co-chaired its strategic planning group.

Murphy also has served on the board of a number of professional and community organizations, including the Knox County Board of Education.

KIMBERLY HICKMAN

Kimberly Hickman is the KCDC Resident Commissioner. She was appointed to the board for a two year term effective August 1, 2016. Ms. Hickman moved to Knoxville from Illinois in 2002. She is a licensed CNA.

Once in Knoxville she learned about the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program and applied for herself and her two children. She was accepted and later she learned about the Homeownership Program.

After going through the required classes, she was able to purchase a house using the Section 8 voucher to pay a portion of her mortgage. She says she started down this path when her children were three and four. They are now fifteen and sixteen. Ms. Hickman advises others to “Listen to what is out there, read about it, ask questions and put in the work needed to reach your goal.