Chattanooga State Community College has announced that Debbie Adams will serve as interim president of the college.
Current President Flora Tydings leaves Feb. 1 to assume her new role as chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Adams, a 30-year career staffer and administrator at the college, is currently the college’s vice president of student affairs and workforce development. She was appointed by TBR Chancellor David Gregory and will serve from Feb. 1 until the next president is appointed by the Board of Regents and arrives on campus later this year.
The Board is expected to convene a special conference call meeting soon to approve the criteria for the next president. No date has been set for the meeting.
Adams began her career at Chattanooga State in the Student Affairs Division as an admissions and financial aid counselor and placement director.
As the workforce development liaison for the college, she met with site selectors and hosted various events to attract new industry to the area, including Volkswagen and Wacker Chemie.
In 2008, Adams returned to the Student Affairs Division as assistant vice president with responsibility for enrollment management and process improvement. She was later promoted to her current office.
She is a member of the inaugural 19-member 2016-17 class of the Complete Tennessee Leadership Academy, a year-long training program sponsored by Complete Tennessee and Leadership Tennessee to inspire more local higher education champions, foster innovation and promote statewide collaboration.
Adams is a graduate of Sequatchie County High School and earned her bachelor of science degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her master of science degree at Central Michigan University.
UTC’s Potts, Tarr All-Conference
The Southern Conference named its All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team, honoring two from the University of Chattanooga.
The inaugural team consisted of only faculty members, but the team was expanded this year to include staff, doubling the number of recipients.
UTC’s Dr. Gretchen Potts and Lisa Tarr were recognized.
Potts, a professor of chemistry, also serves as the program director for the university’s Integrated Studies Program, helping students to complete a degree across multiple disciplines. She helps students who have returned to school and is also an avid supporter of Mocs athletics.
Tarr serves as the academic coordinator for the Chattanooga football team. She joined the athletics department in 2011 after working a year with the UTC Center for Advisement and Student Success.
She serves on the StepUP Leadership bystander intervention committee at UTC, a program initiated by the UTC Counseling and Student Development Office in partnership with the NCAA.
Robinson joins Ruby Falls
Ruby Falls, LLC has hired Beth Robinson as its new director of marketing.
Robinson will provide direction and strategic leadership for marketing and corporate communications.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a person of Beth’s ability and character join our team,” says Hugh Morrow, president of Ruby Falls. “She brings a tremendous amount of organizational and creative skills that will help us to communicate and market our growth plans for the future.
“Beth’s knowledge and history with the Chattanooga and southeast Tennessee area will be a huge plus for her here at Ruby Falls.”
Robinson has more than eight years of experience in marketing strategic planning and implementation, creative development and execution, and public relations.
Previously, she served as director of marketing communications for Collins & Aikman/Tandus Floorcoverings. Robinson is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in marketing and has an MBA from the University of Georgia.
Pinnacle Financial adds 2 to staff
Pinnacle Financial Partners welcomes Charles Millirons Jr. and Jimmy Moncrief as senior vice presidents and financial advisors in the Chattanooga area.
“We continue to attract the best and most knowledgeable financial professionals in the market,” says Ryan Murphy, Pinnacle’s Chattanooga area manager. “Charles’ and Jimmy’s reputations as trusted advisors will enable them to meet all of their clients’ needs.”
Millirons has 29 years of financial services experience. Previously, he worked at SmartBank in Chattanooga, where he was a senior vice president. He was also with First Volunteer Bank (Marion Trust and Banking Company) in Jasper and North Georgia Regional Development Center, where he served as a loan officer and senior planner.
Millirons earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and government/pre-law from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and his master’s degree in public administration and finance from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Moncrief comes to Pinnacle from Community National Bank in Soddy-Daisy, where he was a commercial lender. He served as a credit officer for Community Trust & Banking in Ooltewah, commercial and corporate credit analyst for First Tennessee Bank and equity analyst at Templeton Capital.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from UT-C and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years, where he was an intelligence analyst.
Millirons and Moncrief are based at Pinnacle’s Broad Street office in Chattanooga.
CO.LAB promotes Reedy, Capps
Allison Reedy and Tia Capps have been promoted at CO.LAB to top leadership positions.
Reedy, former programs and events director, is now Chief Operating Officer (COO). Capps, former communications director, will serve as Chief Communications Officer (CCO).
Reedy will work with CO.LAB’s staff and board of directors to implement programs and strategies. She will also lead efforts to secure grants and fulfill their requirements, as well as manage CO.LAB’s finances and HR.
She is one of the longest-serving members of the CO.LAB staff, having joined the organization at its launch in 2010. She previously served as Finance and Operations Director for the organization’s predecessor, CreateHere.
In addition to her role at CO.LAB, Reedy is an advisor to The UnFoundation and has served on the organizing committees of the Chattanooga Mini Maker Faire and Mad, Bad & Dangerous. She is also a founder of Startup Week Chattanooga. She graduated from UT-C with a degree in business finance.
Capps will lead strategy for the organization’s various programs, events and initiatives. Over the next year, key focus areas will include rural outreach across the 10-county region CO.LAB serves, as well as minority inclusion efforts in the organization’s services, programs and events. In addition, she will continue to manage communications and PR.
Capps joined CO.LAB in 2013 following three years as the writer & communications coordinator at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
She also leads the media and marketing strategy for GIGTANK, a national startup accelerator for entrepreneurs developing high-bandwidth business applications. In addition to her role at CO.LAB, she serves on the board of SoundCorps and has previously served on a number of local committees, including the Entrepreneurial Alliance of Chattanooga and Southeast Tennessee STEM Hub Communications Committee.
Capps graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.