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Editorial


Front Page - Friday, January 27, 2023

Newsmakers: CWLI welcomes new executive director




Meghan Greene is the new executive director of the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute. A member of CWLI since 2018, Greene served on the membership committee in 2021 and 2022 and chaired the committee last year.

In her new role, Greene will work with CWLI’s board of directors, staff and volunteer leadership to develop and implement strategies for growing the organization’s reach and impact through leadership training, mentoring programs, networking and corporate partnerships.

CLWI board chair Julie Davis says Greene “is the right person at the right time to bring CWLI into a place of sustainable growth, where women can develop leadership skills and relationships to help move them to the next level of their professional and personal journey.”

Greene says growing up in Chattanooga had a significant impact on her values and informed her personal mission to lead, motivate and inspire others to create collaborative change.

“Chattanooga is a special place to live and work, where big city opportunities meet a smalltown sense of community and collaboration. The talent pool here is incredible and I’m honored to be part of CWLI’s next phase as we continue to cultivate female leadership, foster connections and create new partnerships in our region.”

Greene left a career in the student loan industry in Wilmington, Delaware to obtain a degree in public administration and nonprofit management at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Since returning to Chattanooga, Greene has focused on issues impacting women, serving in both professional and volunteer leadership roles for local nonprofits.

Before joining CWLI, Greene served as development director of A Step Ahead Chattanooga from 2019-2022. She held the position of executive director at Breast Cancer Support Services from 2016-2019.

Greene is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, a 2022 graduate of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Chattanooga program and a member of the current cohort of CWLI’s Game ChangeHer mentoring program.

With a membership of over 400 and a nearly 30-year history, CWLI seeks to contribute to the growth and stability of the Greater Chattanooga business and civic community through the broad range of women’s talents and perspectives.

CSO engages Brooks as first opera artistic adviser

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera recently welcomed its first opera artistic adviser its 90-year history.

Laura Brooks Rice brings her experience as a performer, teacher and mentor, as well as her national and international connections to the opera world, to Chattanooga.

Rice teaches for the Cafritz Young Artist program at The Kennedy Center and is the founder and director of OperaFest Sewanee, a program of the Sewanee Music Center.

CSO Executive Director John Kilkenny says he’s impressed with Rice’s artistic integrity and her dedication to young singers.

“She brings a wealth of experience to this role and we’re fortunate to have an artist of her caliber on our team.”

Rice will advise on programming and casting for all opera and vocal projects as well as work with the artistic staff and executive director to shape the future of the opera program at the CSO.

She and guest conductor Pierre Vallet of the Metropolitan Opera have already curated a program of opera and musical theater favorites the CSO will present March 18 at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are available at chattanoogasymphony.org/events/opera-extravaganza-2023-03-18-730-pm or by calling 423 267-8583.

Aiken joins CHI Memorial Pediatric Diagnostic Assoc.

Dr. Meagan Aiken has joined CHI Memorial Pediatric Diagnostic Associates.

Aiken received her medical degree from Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City and completed her residency in pediatrics at Greenville Health System in Greenville, South Carolina.

She has six years of experience caring for pediatric patients in clinic and hospital settings.

Aiken is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

She is welcoming new patients from newborns to young adults up to age 18. Call 423 698-2229 to schedule an appointment.