Dr. Paul Stumb, President of Cumberland University
A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Paul Cavert Stumb, IV, was named President of Cumberland University on August 26, 2015. He has served Cumberland University since 2003, when he became an Adjunct Professor, a capacity in which he served for two years before becoming Dean of the Labry School of Science, Technology and Business. During his tenure as President, Cumberland has seen record enrollment growth and developed a Strategic Plan that respects the University’s rich, 179-year history, while positioning it for academic distinction and excellence in the current landscape of higher education.
Dr. Stumb holds a BS from Auburn University, an MS from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a Master’s in Education from Cumberland University, and earned his PhD in Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is a graduate of the Navy War College Strategy and Policy Course, and retired from the US Navy Reserves with the rank of Commander. He is the recipient of the Navy Commendation Medal, the National Defense Medal, and other awards, commendations, and honors. He has served as an Adjunct Professor for the National Security Agency, Georgia State University, Shorter College, and Middle Tennessee State University.
Prior to joining Cumberland University, Dr. Stumb enjoyed a successful career in the business sector, serving as Director of Marketing and Business Development and later as General Manager of American Corrugated, in the Containerboard & Packaging Division of the Georgia-Pacific Corporation, and Vice President for Operations/Executive Committee Member and Owner of One Coast Network, Inc., a gift and home decor marketing firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and Regional Vice President of Curtis 1000 Inc., a commercial printing subsidiary of American Business Products in Atlanta. Earlier employment included assignments with Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc., and Union Carbide Corp., in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Dr. Stumb is a member of a number of professional and honor societies, and deeply involved in civic and professional activities. He is widely engaged in the Middle Tennessee community, and provides consultation services for local and regional manufacturers, municipalities, and nonprofit entities. Dr. Stumb has served as an examiner for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, which accredits business education internationally, he is also a current Board member and has been a site visit chair, mentor, and President of ACBSP’s Region 3. He is the past Board Chair of Leadership Middle Tennessee and a member of Leadership Tennessee Class of 2018. He sits on the Boards of the Middle Tennessee Community Foundation, the Wilson County affiliate of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Mid-Cumberland Area Development Corporation, and Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital. He is also a member of the Lebanon Noon Rotary, Lebanon Airport Commission, Lebanon Board of Zoning Appeals, Historic Preservation Committee, and the Sigma Chi Fraternity Alumni Association.
Dr. Stumb is married to Dr. Cristy Stumb, a CU alum and former faculty member, who now owns and operates Stumb Healthcare Professionals, a primary care clinic in Carthage, TN. Together they have four grown children and six grandchildren.