East TN Economic Council honors four individuals during Friday’s awards celebration
Two receive Muddy Boot awards, two others receive Postma Medals.
The East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) named two new recipients of the Muddy Boot Award and presented two Postma Young Professional Medals during its annual meeting and awards celebration on Friday at the Knoxville Airport Hilton, where more than 550 attended the celebration.
The Muddy Boot Award was established in 1979 to honor individuals who have gone above the call of duty, like those who served the nation during the Manhattan Project, during adverse conditions, sometimes actual rivers of mud, to make the community, the state of Tennessee, and the nation a better place to live and work.
The two newest honorees are:
- Bob Morris, President and Founding Principal of Robert Morris Consulting and a longtime executive at the Tennessee Valley Authority, and
- Andy Page, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
From 1979-2025, 109 professionals have received the award.
ETEC established the Postma Medal to honor the accomplishments of young professionals who have made an impact and fostered a community culture in the region. Former Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Herman Postma epitomized this spirit during his life, and his wife, Pat, continued the tradition of service for many years through her service to the Oak Ridge community.
The latest recipients are:
- Dr. Ashley Golden, Senior Director of Health Studies for the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education, managed by ORAU, and
- Kris Meyer, P.E., Assistant Branch Manager at the Oak Ridge Office of Barnhart Crane & Rigging, who focuses on Small Modular Reactors and the Department of Energy.
Thirty individuals have been honored since the award’s creation in 2005.
Prior to the awards presentation, attendees heard from Dr. Lynne Parker, former White House Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Leader, robotics pioneer, and higher education leader.
“We are living in the most technological race in years,” she said, adding that “it will be shaped by whether we lead or follow. Let’s choose to lead.”
She noted that there are two races – one that is collaborative and the other that is adversarial.
“The (AI) technology is neither good nor bad nor neutral,” Parker said, before closing that the challenge for AI is advancing prosperity while protecting freedom.
Like what you've read?
Forward to a friend!