Ryan Ewalt will join the city of Chattanooga as chief operating officer, and Erskine Oglesby will serve as deputy administrator for community development. Both Ewalt and Oglesby will assume their new roles in late November.
Working out of the mayor’s office, Ewalt will oversee the day-to-day operations of the municipal government.
Ewalt comes to the city with 17 years of operations experience spanning the insurance, automotive and consulting industries.
He’s currently an assistant vice president and officer at Chattanooga-based Unum Group, where he leads a 100-member customer service team.
Before Unum, Ewalt helped to launch Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant and secure the Atlas SUV for its manufacturing line.
In addition to his insurance and automotive work, Ewalt was a PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina and an undergraduate degree in systems engineering from the University of Virginia.
The Chattanooga Department of Community Development oversees neighborhood services, community centers, community development and other assistance programs and coordinates with workforce-development initiatives.
As deputy administrator, Oglesby will direct, plan and organize community development services, programs and operations.
Oglesby comes to the department with an extensive professional and volunteer service record in the public and nonprofit sectors. His career experience includes corporate engagement for the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, as well as business services for the Southeast Tennessee Development District.
At SETDD, Oglesby promoted the Career Center and area businesses, administered workforce training grants and advocated for people with disabilities to receive employment and training opportunities.
Before SETDD, Oglesby managed operation centers for the Salvation Armies of Mississippi and Louisiana, where he provided financial and other community support as the region recovered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
He also served for over a decade in executive positions for YMCA affiliates across the country.
Oglesby has volunteered as president of the 100 Black Men of Chattanooga and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He’s held board-governance roles with the Dodson Avenue/Southside Community Health Center, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, WTCI-TV and other community organizations.
Oglesby holds a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Tennessee State University.
Source: Office of the Mayor