The Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary Club presented Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Chaplain Jonathan Parker its Service Above Self in Law Enforcement Award at its monthly luncheon at Metro Tab Church.
Each year, the club recognizes members of the local law enforcement community who have gone above and beyond to serve the needs of their communities and embody their organization’s motto of “Service above self.”
Parker is the HCSO’s senior law enforcement services chaplain. He oversees the Law Enforcement Chaplains and the Employee Health and Wellness programs. Parker began his career with the HCSO as a school resource deputy in 2017.
Before his employment with the HCSO, Parker served as a school resource officer for the City of Chattanooga. In 2019, he was selected to serve as the HCSO’s senior law enforcement chaplain and given operational oversight of the HCSO Law Enforcement Chaplains program.
In 2021, Chief Deputy Austin Garrett designated Parker to lead the development and implementation of the HCSO Employee Health and Wellness Program. The program focuses on the physical, emotional and financial well-being of personnel and offers education, counseling and peer-support services.
Parker serves as the senior pastor of COP Church, where he ministers to the public. His diverse congregation includes a large number of law enforcement personnel and their families.
Tennessee Aquarium adds to leadership team
The Tennessee Aquarium has added two new positions to its senior leadership team. Michael Floyd is the aquarium’s vice president of guest experience and Melanie King is now vice president and chief development officer.
Floyd was previously employed as the aquarium’s assistant manager within the admissions department and later as manager of its gift shops. He served as the aquarium’s store director until the riverfront institution entered into a partnership with Event Network in 2020.
Floyd holds a degree in technology management and an associate of degree in business administration from Dalton State College and a computer support specialist diploma from Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
King was hired as the aquarium’s senior development officer in 2017. A year later, she was promoted to director of development.
Before joining the aquarium, King served as vice president of business development at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association for almost 12 years. Other previous roles include director of development positions with the National Wildlife Federation and the Georgia Conservancy.
King holds a degree in English literature from Stony Brook University in New York.
EPB promotes Jones to new roles
EPB has promoted Ken Jones to senior director of procurement, vendor relations and MWOB, a new position responsible for leading the company’s overall purchasing and materials management as well as its minority and women-owned business program.
“Our goal in promoting Ken is to maximize our local economic impact by further integrating our purchasing efforts with our focus on contracting with diverse Chattanooga area businesses whenever possible,” says David Wade, president and CEO of EPB.
Jones started at EPB in 2000 as a network technician and has worked for EPB in a range of roles and leadership positions including fiber optics, project management, engineering, strategic planning and procurement.
Jones also emphasizes the importance of community connections.
“We’ve built a large and diverse list of potential vendors, which is key to our efforts because we utilize a competitive purchasing process for our contracts. We work with all potential vendors with the aim of achieving the best outcome at the best value for our community.”
Jones’ passion for the community is evident in his volunteer efforts. In addition to being the board chair for Erlanger Community Health Centers, he serves on the boards of directors for green|spaces, United Way of Greater Chattanooga, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Alumni Association and the Chattanooga Library.
Jones also mentors middle school, high school and college students and adult professionals. In addition, he works as a volunteer for The Hunter Museum of American Art, the American Association of Blacks in Energy, the UTC Gary Rollins College of Business and Chattanooga Preparatory School.
Jones attended Chattanooga State Technical Community College, where he earned an Associate Degree in electrical electronics engineering technology, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business entrepreneurship and an MBA in Business Analytics.
Jones invites local businesses with an interest in EPB’s contracting opportunities to contact him at joneske@epb.net.