Class VII
2019-2020
The largest class to date, Class VII consists of 46 leaders from various industry sectors across Tennessee. The new class members represent each Grand Division, cities from Athens to Dyersburg to Memphis to Nashville. See below for the extended list of Class VII members.
Titles and organizations listed are reflective of positions held during program participation.
kelly rodney arnold
Founder / Medical Director
Clinica Medicos
Chattanooga
REbecca Ashford
President
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga
jerry askew
President
Alliance for Better Nonprofits
Knoxville
Jessica Bliss
Storytelling Columnist
The Tennessean/USA Today Network-Tennessee
Nashville
David brace
Deputy to the Mayor & Chief Operating Officer
City of Knoxville
Knoxville
Richard Briggs
Tennessee State Senator
State of Tennessee
Knoxville
michelle gaskin brown
Manager of Public Policy
Amazon
Nashville
claudia Caballero
Executive Director
Centro Hispano de East Tennessee
Knoxville
kevin christopher
Principal
Ridgeline Venture Law
Cookeville
chad davis
Owner
Davis Wealth Services
Dyersburg
eric deaton
Senior Vice President for Hospital and Market Operations
Ballad Health
Johnson City
beth debauche
Commissioner
Ohio Valley Conference
Nashville
Alfred Degrafinreid II
Associate Vice Chancellor for Community Relations
Vanderbilt University
Nashville
Margaret Dolan
President & CEO
Launch Tennessee
Nashville
jason farmer
Founder/CEO
Black Lens Productions
Memphis
bethany flora
President
Northeast State Community College
Gray
christy Gillenwater
President & CEO
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
Chattanooga
heath guinn
Founder
Sync Space
Kingsport
Damon Hininger
President/CEO
CoreCivic
Nashville
bradley jackson
President and CEO
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Nashville
bryan johnson
Superintendent
Hamilton County Schools
Chattanooga
mike keeney
Of Counsel
Lewis Thomason Law Firm
Memphis
holly kirby
Justice - Tennessee Supreme Court
State of Tennessee - Supreme Court
Memphis
mickell lowery
Enterprise Local Manager Sales
FedEx
Memphis
julie mcpeak
Shareholder
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Nashville
chaz molder
Mayor
City of Columbia
Columbia
Billy Orgel
President
Tower Ventures
Memphis
Scott pierce
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Signal Mountain
ryan porter
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Jackson Chamber
Jackson
hugh queener
Chief Administrative Officer and EVP
Pinnacle Bank / Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc.
Nashville
avice reid
Senior Director
Knoxville City Government
Knoxville
sharon roberts
Chief K-12 Impact Officer
Tennessee SCORE
Nashville
lottie ryans
Director Workforce & Literacy Initiatives
First TN Development District
Johnson City
Cameron sexton
Speaker of House
State of Tennessee
Crossville
marcus shaw
CEO
The Company Lab
Chattanooga
patrick sheehan
Director
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
Franklin
Tyvi Small
Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement
University of Tennessee
Knoxville
stephen smith
Deputy Director/Chief of Staff
State of Tennessee - Division of TennCare
Nashville
C. seth sumner
City Manager
City of Athens
Athens
Britt tabor
EVP & CFO and Treasurer
Erlanger Health System
Chattanooga
lauren taylor
Senior Program Director/Chief Learning Officer
Hyde Family Foundation
Memphis
amy weirich
District Attorney General
State of Tennessee
Memphis
marie williams
Commissioner
TN Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Nashville
patrick wilson
President
Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority
Knoxville
tammy wilson
Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Risk Officer
Tennessee Valley Authority
Knoxville
randy wykoff
Dean, College of Public Health
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City