13 East Tennesseans selected for Leadership Tennessee
Five people from Knox County and eight others from East Tennessee have been selected as participants in the 11th class of the annual Leadership Tennessee cohort.
Leadership Tennessee is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rallying leaders from throughout the state to address critical issues in a constructive and nonpartisan way. The 2024-2025 Signature Program Class XI consists of 48 people from 14 different counties across Tennessee, each representing distinct organizations and professional experiences.
Knox County participants are: Ben Bentley, CEO, Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation; Jan Brown, vice president, talent and culture, Tennessee Valley Authority; Clarice Phelps, engineer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Grant Rosenberg, COO, City of Knoxville; and Tammy White, president/CEO, Leadership Knoxville.
Hamilton County participants are: Casey Dungan, president and CEO, BlueCare Tennessee; Evann Freeman, vice president, government and community relations, EPB Chattanooga; Ian Leavy, assistant general counsel, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.; Joe Riley, founder/owner, Patriot Family Homes and Quail Run Farm; and Mina Sartipi, professor, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The Roane County participant is Bob Eby, chairman, Tennessee State Board of Education.
Sullivan County participants are: Carla Karst, principal and founder, Landstar and Workforce Homes Foundation and Frank Lett, president and chief tourism officer, Visit Kingsport
The cohort will spend 10 months traveling the state to study the challenges Tennessee faces and work together to identify the best solutions and opportunities to improve.
“We are proud to challenge our cohorts to think critically about advancing our state in a variety of areas,” Alfred Degrafinreid II, president and CEO of Leadership Tennessee, said in a news release. “This class in particular will experience the program at the height of this year’s election. This will no doubt lead to even deeper and more thoughtful dialogue as state and federal discourse will be spiking in this moment.”
The following are the other Leadership Tennessee’s 2024-2025 Signature Program Class XI participants, listed alphabetically by county.
Davidson County
Jill Ayers, Judge, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
Monty Burks, deputy director of the Governors Faith Based and Community Initiative, Office of the Governor
Clay Bright, CEO, Megasite Authority of West Tennessee
Nikki Burdine, news anchor, WKRN
Brooxie Carlton, assistant commissioner, community and rural development, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Joe Carrico, special agent in charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Kate Chinn, partner, MP&F
Natalie Cooper, president and CEO, Wellpoint TN
Steven Gentile, executive director, Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Erin Hafkenschiel, president, ThinkTennessee
Johari Matthews, vice president and executive director, ONE Community and Titans Foundation, Tennessee Titans
Bert McCarter, attorney, McCarter East PLLC
Martesha Johnson Moore, chief public defender, Metropolitan Nashville Public Defender’s Office
Karl Sprules, COO, AllianceBernstein
Carey Whitworth, vice president of government relations and advocacy, University of Tennessee System
Russell Ziecker, executive vice president, head of Global TV Music, LIONSGATE and STARZ
Gibson County
Tina Prescott, COO, West Tennessee Healthcare
Madison County
Monte Cooper, president and CEO, Jackson Energy Authority
Carol Rothstein, president, Jackson State Community College
Montgomery County
Lee Harrell, chief of staff, Montgomery County
Kimberly Wiggins, county trustee, Montgomery County Government
Robertson County
Zane Seals, CFO, Division of TennCare
Rutherford County
Dawn White, District 13 state senator, Tennessee General Assembly
Shelby County
Kemp Conrad, principal, Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Advisors, LLC
Michalyn Easter-Thomas, Memphis City councilwoman, City of Memphis
Michael Fulton, director of government affairs and business diversity development, Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority
Tiffany Legington Graham, chief marketing and development officer, National Civil Rights Museum
Phillip May, president (Memphis), Pinnacle Financial Partners
Johnny Moore, Jr., Tennessee regional president, Truist Financial
Chandell Ryan, president and CEO, Downtown Memphis Commission
Paul Young, mayor, City of Memphis
Smith County
Bryan Wright, executive vice president, Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation
Sumner County
Chassen Haynes, regional manager, U.S. state and local government affairs, Ford Motor Company
Williamson County
Matt Largen, president and CEO, Williamson, Inc.
Mia McNeil, state director, AARP Tennessee
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 13 East Tennesseans selected for Leadership Tennessee