Chattanooga's Leadership "Think Tank Roundtable" Expanding

Chattanooga, TN - "Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable Expands to Take Leadership Development and Visioning to the Next Level This Year" The City of Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture (EAC) announces the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable with a comprehensive collaboration of leadership development and visioning for the city. Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank gathers a roundtable of Chattanooga's leadership program directors to network, share best practices, and combine efforts to mutually support each other in growing the city's leadership development programs. This announcement comes as EAC participates in the inaugural Aging in Place Initiative workshop (scheduled for Tuesday, June 30-register online at aginginplaceinitiative.com)-an EAC partnership.

Co-founded in 2007 by Missy Crutchfield (Education, Arts & Culture) and Diane Parks (Leadership Chattanooga and Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce), the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank is an outreach to connect, collaborate, and communicate exciting leadership programs, build support, increase participation, and build sustainable outcomes for future classes.

EAC Administrator and Co-Founder Missy Crutchfield says, "The announcement of this expansion comes at a moment in Chattanooga's history when community leaders are looking at where Chattanooga goes from here. For the past two years, we have been co-convening a leadership think tank with leadership program directors from across the city discussing leadership and community development. As we step forward into this next phase, we are branding senior and youth roundtables to contribute to the conversation. This is an opportunity to form a comprehensive vision for Chattanooga's future."

Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Director of Leadership and Community Development and Co-Founder Diane Parks says, "Everybody looks to Leadership Chattanooga as the grandfather of leadership programs in the city, and other programs look to us for ideas. In fact, the Global Leadership Class led by Deborah Levine was a direct outcome of Leadership Think Tank discussions. While we have so many different leadership programs available in this community, we find that they really do complement each other very well. Through the Leadership Think Tank Roundtable, we want to provide an opportunity for leadership program directors to learn from one another and to share best practices and expand that conversation into the larger community as we envision the future of leadership development for Chattanooga."

Choose Chattanooga Executive Director Linda Bennett says, "The expansion of the Leadership Think Tank Roundtable to include a senior component is a perfect example of the partnerships we would like to achieve out of the Building Partnerships: Creating a Livable Community for All Ages workshop. By working together, we can best maximize our assets, expand our capacity and achieve the creative excellence we have come to expect from a Chattanooga initiative."

The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library is another key partner in this effort. The library recently launched a new initiative to better serve the area's seniors. "We believe by expanding outreach we will further emphasize the importance of lifelong learning as an integral part of the great quality of life Chattanooga has to offer everyone in our community" says Library Director David Clapp.

Southeast Tennessee Agency on Aging and Disability Director and Aging in Place Initiative Coordinator Steve Witt says, "Our goal is for the Aging in Place Initiative workshop to create an environment in which local decision makers and community leaders will take a look at the creative work already occurring in Chattanooga and identify strategies to continue moving forward in making the Chattanooga region a first rate place for people of all ages."

Future events will include community forums in fall and spring, as well as an ongoing participation in future workshops with the Aging in Place Initiative. This year's focus for the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable will address ideas around "Choose Chattanooga" as the think tank looks at all generations living in Chattanooga now and in the future.

For more information about the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable or the City of Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture call (423) 425-7826 or e-mail turner_m@mail.chattanooga.gov.