Jim CatanzaroRead moreCatanzaro leads Chattanooga State 25 years; some call him visionary, others say it's time for him to go
Photo of Lisa Haynes, chief innovation officer at Chattanooga State Community College
Photo of Lisa Haynes, chief innovation officer at Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanooga State President Jim Catanzaro is the heaviest spender among Tennessee's four largest community colleges.
His reported travel expenses in the 2013-14 fiscal year of $23,376 were more than double what other presidents of the state's biggest community colleges spent. And he racked up the biggest tab on business meals.
Much of his travel and meal expenses include Chief Innovations Officer Lisa Haynes, whose hiring has become the subject of both a state investigation and faculty ire.
Between July 2013 and June of this year, her name appeared on his expense reports more than twice as often as any other official. In all, Catanzaro spent more than $10,000 in the fiscal year on business meals, according to a Times Free Press review of college records and receipts. That figure includes dining out and entertaining business leaders and government officials in-house with catered meals usually served on fine china and linens.
He generally spends between $50 and $100 on a weekly breakfast meeting with student government leaders at The Blue Plate. And he often takes community leaders or prospective hires to some of the city's nicest restaurants, including J. Alexander's, Hennen's and The Boathouse.
Catanzaro reported 13 business trips in the fiscal year, including six in-state trips for Tennessee Board of Regents meetings or functions. Haynes accompanied him on all but one of his seven out-of-state trips during that time period, according to records.
In early March, the two spent $2,781 on a four-night trip to Anaheim, Calif., to attend a meeting of the League for Innovation in the Community College.
In mid-May, the college spent $4,238 on a two-night trip for Catanzaro and Haynes to visit Yeshiva University in New York City, where the two were trying to work out a deal for Chatt State professors to teach classes online for the Jewish university.
In April, the two took a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., to attend conferences of the Higher Education Research & Development Institute and the American Association of Community Colleges. Records show the college spent about $4,500 on that trip.
This summer, the two took a 12-night trip to Barbados, Haynes' native land. On that trip, the college spent $1.222.70 on Catanzaro's airfare, plus another $3,308 for his hotel, meals and rental car. Haynes reported that her airfare was covered by the Barbados Manufacturers Association, to whom she gave a speech while on the trip. Records show the college reimbursed Haynes $710.50 for meals and incidentals.
An itinerary showed meetings with government and business officials there, as well as meetings with school principals and the University of the West Indies. Chattanooga State has signed a five-year agreement to promote student and professor exchanges with that university, though nothing has materialized yet.
Records show Haynes earlier took a solo trip to Barbados on the college's dime between Dec. 28, 2013, and Jan. 13 of this year. The college paid $1,652 for her flights, but didn't pay for any meals or hotel stays, TBR records show. Emails show she extended her stay at Catanzaro's request to attend meetings.
On her return, she didn't provide a requested detailed log of her business on the trip, which was to include meetings with the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and the University of the West Indies. Haynes sought reimbursement only for a $39 shuttle from the Atlanta airport.
A college official with knowledge of the situation said that trip coincided with the general time frame of Catanzaro's annual vacation to Barbados.
Previous news report: