Carol Len Frist Portis '84—Distinguished Alum

When Carol Len Frist Portis ’84 learned in 2000 that her son, McClain, had food allergies that could cause life-threatening reactions, she says, “Rather than panicking, I started digging in. Rather than allowing fear to take over, I wanted to fully understand what was happening.” She began educating herself about the physiological phenomenon—and strategizing. Determined to ensure that her son could grow up like other kids, she realized she needed the other adults in his life—family, friends, and teachers in particular—to be able to recognize and appropriately respond to an anaphylactic reaction.

 

Thus began a mission to educate individuals and institutions so that her child—and others like him in the community—could be safe. She has made presentations to numerous schools, given television interviews, counseled and supported other families, and about five years ago began working on state and federal legislation to require schools to have plans to ensure the safety of children with this medical condition. “It’s very rewarding,” she says of her various efforts. “I’m hoping to make a difference.”

 

Carol Len, who received Harding’s 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award, is the architect of Harding’s program to educate the faculty about this condition. Since 2008 she has also brought her characteristic can-do determination to being a trustee at Harding. “I’m passionate about Harding Academy,” she says. “The school shaped me, provided me a strong foundation, and has a lot of memories for me.”

 

As a student, Carol Len played percussion in the band, was a varsity athlete and co-captain, served on the Student Council, and ultimately served as its president. She notes that some of the most important benefits of her Harding education included leadership opportunities that instilled confidence, a solid academic background, and a strong sense of community. (Also, fond memories—particularly of being an office assistant for school receptionist and registrar Nancy Turner.)

 

After Harding, she attended Brentwood Academy and Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where she received her BA in health and exercise science. Marrying Scott Portis in 1991, she was employed for a time in a physical therapy clinic in Detroit that catered to professional athletes.

 

She went on to earn her MBA from Belmont University and to become co-owner with Scott of Cannon Restaurant Management, which owns and operates several Moe’s Southwest Grill Restaurants in Nashville. A strategic planner for the business, Carol Len devotes much of her time to her children—McClain, now 10 years old, and his sisters Leah (age 13) and Crissa (age 6), all Harding students.

 

“We were open minded when looking at schools,” she notes. “However, it was extremely reassuring to discover upon our looking that Harding Academy 20 years later was even better than what it was to me.”

In her role as a steward to the school, she envisions it as “always improving always staying up with the times, but never losing that core of what has been there for so long.”