The University of Tennessee at Martin’s WestStar Leadership Program selected 30 business and education leaders from 16 counties in West Tennessee as the class of 2019. The following class participants are noted with their business or organization affiliation and home county:
- Kayce Beam, director of the UT Martin Jackson Center, Madison County;
- Skipper Bondurant, administrator and chief executive officer of Baptist Memorial Hospital Union City, Obion County;
- Joyce Brown, county clerk of Gibson County, Gibson County;
- Reba Celsor, chief executive officer of West Tennessee Healthcare Dyersburg Hospital, Dyer County;
- Jim Cheatham, president of Universal Contractors, LLC, Obion County;
- Jenna Cole-Wilson, executive director of the Benton County/Camden Chamber of Commerce, Benton County;
- Al Da Silva, director of operations for University Plastic Surgeons, Shelby County;
- Sybil Dancer, director of Selmer Parks and Recreation, McNairy County;
- Chris Davis, executive director of special services for Haywood County Schools, Haywood County;
- Amber Greene, recycling coordinator of the West Tennessee Regional Recycling Hub, Chester County;
- Justin Hargrove, agriculture and natural resources extension agent with the University of Tennessee Extension in Benton County, Benton County;
- Nichole Lawrence, community relations officer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Carroll County;
- Larry Lusk, director of Dyer County School System, Dyer County;
- Andrew Maddox, president of Maddox Insurance, LLC, Carroll County;
- Jason Martin, commercial print and promotional manager of Tri-County Publishing Inc., Carroll County;
- Travis McLeese, executive director of Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Henry County;
- Civil Miller-Watkins, board member for Fayette County Schools, Fayette County;
- Erica Moore, communications director for Weakley County government and executive assistant to the Weakley County mayor, Weakley County;
- LaShell Moore, pre-kindergarten teacher at Selmer Elementary School and president and founder of Mary Lou Johnson Inc., McNairy County;
- Sharron Murden, northwest district manager and vice president of CB&S Bank in Bolivar, Hardeman County;
- Paul Newbill, senior vice president and commercial lender for First Citizens National Bank, Dyer County;
- Jeffery Richmond, nylon maintenance manager of Teknor Apex Co.-Tennessee, Haywood County;
- John Penn Ridgeway, vice president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McKenzie, Henry County;
- Derick Seaton, manager at Savannah-Hardin County Airport, Hardin County;
- Lucianne Shoffner, publisher at River Willow Co., LLC (doing business as Cypress Magazine), Tipton County;
- Lori Weir, chief executive officer and founder of Relationship Architects, LLC, Madison County;
- Ron Wells, director of the Millington Center at Southwest Tennessee Community College, Shelby County;
- Bryce West, vice president of BancorpSouth in Trenton, Gibson County;
- Mark Woodruff, owner and operator of the UPS Store in Savannah, Hardin County;
- Jamie Worrell, human resource client manager at Center Point Business Solutions, LLC, Obion County.
Participants attend a series of sessions held through June focusing on topics such as economic development, public policy, education and technology. The WestStar Leadership Program was founded at UT Martin in 1989 and is the state’s oldest and largest regional leadership program. The program equips regional leaders with new skills and knowledge designed to impact the educational, economic and social development of West Tennessee. The program also provides members with a growing network of community-minded people committed to serving the area. Dr. Charley Deal serves as WestStar executive director.
For more information about the WestStar Leadership Program, contact Virginia Grimes, program coordinator, at 731-881-7298.
###
