Leadership Tennessee announces newest class of Signature Program leaders

Maddy Welsh, Nashville Tennessean
·3 min read

Leadership Tennessee announced the participants in the tenth class of its annual program designed to bring leaders from across the state together to identify solutions to issues the state faces.

Leadership Tennessee is a nonprofit dedicated to harnessing the talents of the state's leaders to tackle important issues in a collaborative, non-partisan way. The 2023-2024 Signature Program Class X is comprised of 48 people from 14 counties representing a variety of organizations and professional backgrounds.

Beginning in August, the class will spend 10 months traveling the state to study challenges faced by Tennessee and its people and then identify solutions.

"Collaboration is critical as we continue to work together in moving Tennessee forward," Alfred Degrafinred II, president and CEO of Leadership Tennessee, said in a press release. "I'm confident in the diverse makeup of this class and know that these are the right individuals to create meaningful changes across the state."

Leadership Tennessee's 2023-24 Signature Program Class X participants

The following are listed alphabetically by county.

Carroll County

  • Joseph Butler, Mayor, Carroll County

Carter County

  • Patty Woodby, Mayor, Carter County

Davidson County

  • Adrienne Battle, Superintendent, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools

  • Stephen Bland, Chief Executive Officer, WeGo Public Transit

  • Jennifer Brantley, Managing Partner, MP&F Strategic Communications

  • Teresa Broyles-Aplin, CEO, Nashville Electric Service

  • David Steele Ewing, CEO, Nashville History On Tour

  • Shan Foster, Co-Founder/CEO, Fostering Healthy Solutions; Executive Director, AMEND Together

  • Charlane Oliver, State Senator, Tennessee General Assembly

  • Margie Quin, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services

  • Brian Straessle, Executive Director, The Sycamore Institute

  • Deborah Hennessee Thomas, Executive Vice President, Pinnacle Financial Partners

  • Troy White, Executive Director, Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency

Hamilton County

  • Demetrus Coonrod, Councilwoman, City of Chattanooga

  • Cory Gearrin, Deputy Mayor, Hamilton County

  • Lynda Hood, Executive Director, Chattanooga Bar Association

  • Aaron Melda, SVP Transmission and Power Supply, TVA

  • Todd Ray, SVP Government Programs, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

  • Shalin Tejani, President/Managing Director/CEO, Ribbon and Bows Oh My; Horizon Hospitality Capital; Legacy Dental Group

Johnson County

  • Scott Andrew, CEO, Retail Service Systems; CEO and Co-founder, Rugged American Spirits/Tennessee Hills, Rugged Holdings

Knox County

  • Gabriel Bolas, President and CEO, Knoxville Utilities Board

  • Amy Cathey, Associate Dean, Graduate and Executive Education, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee Knoxville

  • David Colquitt, Owner, The Swag

  • Becky Hancock, Executive Director, Historic Tennessee Theatre

  • Larsen Jay, Commissioner, Knox County Commission

  • Renee Kelly, Director of Boundless (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Program), Clayton Homes

  • Parinda Khatri, CEO, Cherokee Health Systems

  • David Miller, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, University of Tennessee System

Madison County

  • Edward Jackson, State Senator, Tennessee General Assembly

  • Mandy White, Chief Economic Development Officer, Greater Jackson Chamber

McMinn County

  • Tyler Forrest, President, Tennessee Wesleyan University

Montgomery County

  • Wes Golden, Mayor, Montgomery County

  • Walt Lord, Vice President for Military and Veterans Affairs, Austin Peay State University

Putnam County

  • Konstantin Yepifantsev, CEO, Home Caregivers

Rhea County

  • John Bamber, Executive Director, Rhea Economic and Tourism Council, Inc

Shelby County

  • Trevia Chatman, President, Bank of America Memphis

  • Holly Coleman, Program Director for High Quality Education, Hyde Family Foundations

  • La Sonya Hall, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Shelby County Government

  • Russell Ingram, Chief Operating Officer, Epicenter Memphis

  • Dan Springer, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, City of Memphis

  • Ignacio Vincentelli, Chief Counsel North American Container, International Paper Company

Sullivan County

  • Beth Rhinehart, President and CEO, Bristol TN/VA Chamber of Commerce

  • Darla Scott, EVP and CFO, Bank of Tennessee

  • Subhashini Vashisth, Group Leader, Corporate Innovation, Eastman Chemical Company

Williamson County

  • Noni Ellison, SVP General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Tractor Supply Company

  • Laquita Stribling, Vice President, Randstad USA

  • Burton Williams, CEO, The Ayers Foundation Trust

  • Mark Yancy, Chief Executive Officer, NashvilleHealth

Reach Maddy Welsh at mwelsh@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Leadership Tennessee Signature Program Class X announced