Tennessee Tech alumnus, trustee Fred Lowery named CEO of Henry Schein
Tennessee Tech University alumnus and Board of Trustees Vice Chair Fred M. Lowery has been named chief executive officer of Henry Schein Inc., a Fortune 500 company and the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental and medical practitioners.
Henry Schein announced Lowery’s appointment in a company news release, citing his “more than two decades of healthcare expertise ... with a strong track record of scaling complex businesses to drive significant growth and sustained value creation.”
The company went on to praise Lowery’s “extensive commercial, logistics, and manufacturing expertise,” noting that he possesses “the combination of experience and capabilities necessary to accelerate growth and value creation.”
Lowery, a 1994 Tech graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, was most recently executive vice president and president over laboratory products and bioproduction at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Over the years, he has maintained strong and lasting ties to his alma mater as an alumnus, benefactor and trustee, having served on the board since 2019.
“At Tennessee Tech, we challenge our students to be bold, fearless, confident and kind. Fred Lowery has embodied those values throughout his life and career,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “We are proud to see one of our own selected to lead a global organization like Henry Schein Inc., and we are grateful for Fred’s continued dedication to Tennessee Tech and its students.”
A Knoxville native, Lowery attended Tech on a football scholarship after graduating from Austin-East High School. He has often credited his Tech education with shaping both his professional and personal leadership philosophy.
“At Tech, I learned how to frame and solve problems from my experience in engineering,” Lowery said in previous remarks. “But I also learned how to interact with people in a way that brings out the best in every situation.”
Lowery has remained actively engaged with the university community since graduating. In 2021, he received Tech’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Alumni Association’s highest honor, in recognition of his professional accomplishments and service.
Through the Lowery Family Fund, Lowery has established three scholarship endowments at Tech: the Fred M. Lowery Award Scholarship, which encourages students from Austin-East High School to attend Tech; the Chi Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Scholarship; and the Dr. Leo McGee Scholarship Award. The fund also supports community-focused initiatives and organizations in Tennessee and beyond.
In 2024, Lowery and fellow alumnus and trustee Tom Jones pledged a combined $1 million in support of Tech athletics, further demonstrating Lowery’s long-standing commitment to the university’s growth and success.
Lowery has also shared his perspective with students directly, including delivering virtual commencement remarks to the fall 2020 graduating class. He encouraged graduates to set clear goals, pursue work they love and focus on helping others. “Whoever helps the most people, wins,” he told the class.
In addition to his service to Tech, Lowery serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, including DuPont, Boston Medical Center and the Boston Renaissance Charter Public Schools Board of Trustees.
He was unanimously confirmed twice by the Tennessee General Assembly to serve on the Tennessee Tech Board of Trustees. The original House Joint Resolution confirming Lowery’s appointment praised him as “a person of integrity who brings a strong commitment to the citizens of Tennessee.”
Learn more about Lowery and his fellow trustees at https://www.tntech.edu/board/trustees.php.