Phillips-Jones Chosen for Statewide Leadership Program
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Phillips-Jones Chosen for Statewide Leadership Program
By Shane Gilreath
SCN Contributing Editor
[email protected]
The University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS), an agency of the Institute for Public Service (IPS), who serves municipalities across Tennessee by providing technical assistance, training, and consulting services, has announced the inaugural cohort for PULSE TN – Strength Based Leadership Initiative, a statewide program aimed at strengthening leadership and community impact across Tennessee. Among those selected to participate is Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones, whose inclusion highlights the growing role of rural leaders in shaping the future of the state.
Through programs like PULSE TN, the agency seeks to supply public state leaders with the tools that can be used to better serve their communities.
“The vision for PULSE TN is to help local leaders connect their individual strengths to something bigger than themselves,” according to MTAS Training & Development Consultant and PULSE TN Program leader Dr. Matt Hensley.
PULSE is rooted in the University of Tennessee System’s Grand Challenges initiative, which focuses on issues such as strengthening rural communities, improving K-12 education, and addressing addiction, causes that are particularly felt in small communities. In addressing those issues, participants will take part in immersive leadership experiences across Tennessee’s three grand divisions (East, Middle, and West Tennessee), engaging in workshops, panel discussions, service-learning opportunities, and collaborative projects designed to create lasting local impacts.
“The Grand Challenges touch every community in Tennessee,” Hensley said. “PULSE TN is about building a statewide network of local leaders who are leading meaningful change where they live and serve – aligning local action for coordinated statewide impact.”
The program into which Phillips-Jones was selected also brings together expertise from across IPS and partnerships with organizations including the Jones Center for Leadership and Service at UT Knoxville and Leadership Tennessee, creating a broad network of mentorship and professional development opportunities that could have broader impacts on Oneida and beyond.
Phillips-Jones will join municipal officials, educators, nonprofit leaders, and administrators from across the state in the competitive inaugural cohort, representing Oneida on a statewide stage focused on collaborative leadership and community-driven solutions. Other participants include: Glen Mullins, Chairman, Bartlett Station Commission; Adrienne Batara, Marketing/Public Relations Director, Kingsport; Wendy Maness, Councilwoman, Clinton; Patrick Smith, City Councilman, Union City; Jason Horne, Assistant Director of Greeneville City Schools, Greeneville; Mary Lee Williams, Director of Administration, Bristol; Melanie Rice, Director of HR, Johnson City; Ryan Griffin, Mayor, McKenzie; Amanda Waddell, Director of Grants and Strategic Initiatives, Greene County Partnership; Ruth Reno Anderson, Alderman, City of Puryear; Kendra Hopson, General Manager, Greene County Partnership; Martin Granum, City Manager, Red Bank; Lynn Broyles, Executive Director, Greene County Anti-Drug Coalition; Rafferty Davis Cleary, Cultural Administrator, Monterey; Chelsea Sadler, Director of Grants & Opportunities, Chattanooga; April Norris, Deputy Director of Schools, Tullahoma; andSamuel Beyhan, Executive Director, Memphis.
