The University of Tennessee at Martin WestStar Leadership Program class of 2022 includes 30 business and education leaders from 17 West Tennessee counties. The following class participants are noted with the business or organization affiliation and home county:
- Kevin Adelsberger, founder and managing partner at Adelsberger Marketing, Madison County;
- Sabrina Blue, CEO and founder of Helping Hands of Tennessee, Madison County;
- Gene Bowden, mayor of Whiteville, Hardeman County;
- Stephanie Chapman-Washam, mayor of Brighton, Tipton County;
- Tory Daughrity, director of marketing and public relations at Henry County Medical Center, Henry County;
- Toni Eubanks, executive director of human resources for the Haywood County Board of Education, Haywood County;
- Lauren Fletcher, executive director of the Covington-Tipton County Chamber of Commerce, Tipton County;
- Joshua Filtz, owner and founder of Magnolia Mercantile Co., Carroll County;
- William Franklin, vice president of PATH Co., Shelby County;
- Tina Glover, president of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, Fayette County;
- Jennifer Hedge, assistant district attorney general for the 24th Judicial District and Benton County chief prosecutor, Benton County;
- Dob Johnson Jr., vice president and commercial lender for First Citizens National Bank, Dyer County;
- Ben Jones, director of development for UT Martin, Weakley County;
- Kimberly Jones, controller for West Tennessee Healthcare, Madison County;
- Mary Lonon, circuit court clerk of Haywood County, Haywood County;
- Shane Lynch, lead appraiser for Humphreys Associates, Inc., Gibson County;
- Hadley Malone, manager of Obion County Farm Bureau, Obion County;
- Matthew Marshall, president/CEO of the United Way of West Tennessee, Madison County;
- Petra McPhearson, senior vice chancellor for finance and administration at UT Martin, Obion County;
- Amber Mills, Shelby County Commissioner of District One, Shelby County;
- Kasey Meunch, community relations director of the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Henry County;
- Seela Newbill, instructional supervisor for Dyersburg City Schools, Dyer County;
- Adam November, engineer and project manager at TLM Associates, Madison County;
- Charles Peery, CPA and manager at Alexander Thompson Arnold CPA firm, Obion County;
- Renee Phelps, IRA administrator of FirstBank, Chester County;
- Jan Reid-Bunch, vice president for the college at Dyersburg State Community College, Dyer County;
- LaRae Smiley-Sliger, deputy emergency management director for the Hardin County Fire Department, Hardin County;
- Laura Todd, owner of Downtown District Consulting, Shelby County;
- Leah Watkins, director of schools for the Henry County School System, Henry County;
- Cody Wood, city recorder and chief financial officer of the City of Lexington, Henderson 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.
For more information about the WestStar Leadership Program, contact Virginia Grimes, assistant director, at 731-881-7298.
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