Mike Krause was appointed as the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation by Governor Bill Haslam in August 2016.
Prior to assuming this role, he served as the founding executive director of the Tennessee Promise and Drive to 55, where he coordinated the launch of the nation’s first free community college program and an array of other programs focused on increasing state higher education attainment.
Previously, Mike served as the assistant executive director at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Krause also served for eight years in the United States Army and Tennessee Army National Guard, where he completed three combat tours with the 101st Airborne Division and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
An eighth generation Tennessean, Mike earned his bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay State University and Master’s degree in Public Policy from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. He lives in Thompson’s Station with his wife and son.