Tennessee Voices, Episode 372: LaTanya Channel, Metro Nashville economic development chief
Before coming to work for Nashville Mayor's office in 2022, LaTanya Channel worked for the Small Business Administration for 20-plus years and headed the SBA's Tennessee office in Music City.
The attorney and veteran public servant now works as the director of economic growth and small business development in Mayor John Cooper’s administration.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, she spoke about her role, the challenges facing the city and Prosper Nashville, a program to create long-term economic growth for all residents.
While there has been well-documented displacement of residents in Nashville due to the rising cost of living, small businesses also are feeling the crunch in terms of skyrocketing rents, access to capital and financial counseling.
She discussed opportunities Nashville has to incubate businesses, create more shared commercial kitchens for restauranteurs, and use the development of the East Bank as a means to benefit small business owners.
Channel also shared her history as a native Washingtonian who came from a family of tobacco farmers.
Her grandmother was the eldest of 30 children, and Channel makes it a point to gather regularly with relatives for reunions.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063 or email him at dplazas@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Video podcast: LaTanya Channel, Nashville economic development chief
