John Chambers will serve as the new chief of the Chattanooga Police Department.
Chambers has served over 20 years with the CPD. The confirmation caps a two-month selection process that whittled down a field of applicants for a job that drew national interest and a pool of external and internal candidates. Chambers emerged with unanimous support from Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly’s advisory committee.
The Chattanooga City Council unanimously confirmed Kelly’s appointment Sept. 17.
“I’m humbled and excited to enter this new role,” Chambers said after the confirmation vote. ‘It’s an honor to serve as the chief of police for all Chattanoogans, and I’m committed to working alongside the members of our community and our officers to ensure we address concerns in every part of our great city.
“We’re a purpose-driven, people-focused, mission-oriented department with a record of utilizing progressive and innovative law enforcement strategies to combat the many aspects of crime in our community. This is still who we are, and I’m proud to serve you in this way.”
UTC’s Kim White to transition into new role
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor for Advancement and executive director of the UC Foundation Kim White will transition into a new role of executive adviser to the UC Foundation Jan. 1.
White joined the university’s executive leadership team in 2021. She’s decided to step into a part-time role that will allow her to focus more on family while continuing her work.
“I’m passionate about this university,” White says. “Throughout my four decades as a UTC student, volunteer, donor, advocate and vice chancellor, I’ve seen firsthand how our university changes lives. I credit it for laying the groundwork for much of my own success.”
UTC will launch a national search for a new vice chancellor immediately. UTC Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton and UC Foundation board of trustees Chair Ashlee Patten will serve as co-chairs of the search committee. Gonser Gerber, a national executive search consultant, will support the process.
“When Vice Chancellor White joined the UTC Executive Leadership Team in December 2021, she came in during a difficult time in higher education due to the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. A UTC alumna with 18 years of experience holding multiple volunteer leadership positions at UTC and within the UT System, she brought a blend of professional expertise, skills and knowledge to campus with a mission of rebuilding the infrastructure of the UC Foundation, and she has accomplished what she set out to do,” UTC Chancellor Steven Angle says.
UTC is coming off the single largest fundraising year in university history, with $60.1 million raised from 6,762 donors during fiscal year 2024.
Patten praises White’s achievements.
“Kim’s results-driven leadership has helped to rejuvenate the advancement team and modernize the UC Foundation. Both UTC and the broader community are beneficiaries of her strategic thinking and decades of service.”
In her new role as executive adviser, White will assist the foundation’s new leadership with formulating long-term strategic initiatives, securing major gifts, and evaluating UC Foundation real estate opportunities.
A native of Hixson, White received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UTC in 1982. Her university experience includes serving as president of the UTC Alumni Board, being selected as the second woman in UC Foundation history to serve as its chair, serving on the UT Foundation Board, and representing UTC after being appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam to serve on the UT Board of Trustees.
Habitat for Humanity adds two to board
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga has added two members to its board of directors. Cornelius Bayes and Don McDowell are the latest additions to the organization’s board leadership.
Bayes is a senior leader at the Tennessee Valley Authority. He leads an analytics and technology team that supports TVA’s customer and community teams. Bayes has 14 years of experience at TVA in various capacities, including supply chain, inventory, analytics and operations expertise.
McDowell lived overseas for 17 years during his 30-year corporate career before retiring and moving to Ooltewah. A long-distance backpacker and former Habitat board member, McDowell is also an active member of the Chattanooga Downtown Rotary Club.
Chattanooga Chamber hires new marketing VP
The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce has named Jeremy Henderson vice president of marketing. Henderson will lead a team of creatives charged with communicating the Chamber’s mission of championing member businesses and promoting regional economic growth.
“Jeremy’s previous tenure with the Chattanooga Chamber was marked by his pivotal role in achieving some of our biggest economic development successes, including the landmark Volkswagen project,” says Chamber CEO and president Charles Wood. “His understanding of our mission, combined with his firsthand knowledge as a small-business owner, positions him to support and champion our member businesses effectively.”
Henderson spent more than a decade at the Chattanooga Chamber before leaving to become a small-business owner by starting a graphic design firm specializing in branding.
“I have a new perspective and appreciation for our members, having been a small-business owner myself,” says Henderson. “And having previously worked at the Chamber, I believe in our mission to build a Chattanooga where every person can thrive.”
Henderson holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in computer art from the Savannah College of Art and Design and is a U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management graduate.
Pinnacle’s Brown joins EPD board of directors
Pinnacle Financial Partners senior vice president and financial adviser James Brown joined the EPB board of directors effective Sept. 11.
Brown has more than two decades of expertise developed in the banking industry. Before joining Pinnacle, he was vice president and commercial banker for Synovus Financial Corporation and business banker and branch manager for Regions Financial Corporation. Brown holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Brown has also supported the Chattanooga community as a board member for the Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Hamilton Family YMCA. He’s an alumnus of Leadership Chattanooga and is actively involved in its alumni association.
Urban League welcomes leadership program cohort
The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga has selected 10 aspiring executive leaders for its 2024 cohort of the Inclusion by Design Executive Leadership Program.
The IBD program is designed to build a pipeline of people of color and women who are equipped for executive roles. Since its inception, the Urban League’s leadership program has produced 80 graduates who now serve in executive and leadership roles across the Chattanooga region and beyond.
The 2024 Inclusion by Design fellows include:
• Stacy Gray, Unum
• Darleene Cole, Tennessee Aquarium
• Natasha McGhee, CHI Memorial
• Angela Henry, EPB
• Bryant Fairley, UTC
• Dr. Latisha Simmons, BlueCross BlueShield
• Shunyale Douglas, BlueCross BlueShield
• Annette Moore, Tennessee Valley Authority
• Lori Stenger, Tennessee Valley Authority
• Shadrina Booker, city of Chattanooga