Four Tennesseans among 40 graduates of Appalachian Leadership Institute
The regional leadership training program was developed by Appalachian Regional Commission in partnership with UT, Knoxville and several other organizations.
Four Tennesseans are among the 40 Fellows who graduated last week from the Appalachian Leadership Institute (ALI), a leadership and economic development program for the region’s public, private, and nonprofit leaders in the 13 states that comprise the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
In the nine months prior to graduation, the Fellows traveled to six Appalachian communities around the region to attend sessions, which included skill-building seminars, peer-to-peer learning, case study analysis, and site visits to experience ARC investments in action. The curriculum is designed to equip Fellows with the knowledge, ideas, and network needed to create positive change in their communities and strengthen the region’s economic opportunity.
Those Tennesseans who were members of the latest cohort included:
- Brad Collett, Director of the Tennessee RiverLine, an initiative of the University of Tennessee (UT) Institute of Agriculture. Under his leadership, regional partners collaborate to realize the vision for North America’s next great regional trail system and the benefits it promises future generations. Collett is a Professor in the UT Department of Plant Sciences and a licensed landscape architect.
- Jeff Mason, Mayor of Smith County Tennessee, is starting his sixth year in the role. Prior to moving into public service, he was in the manufacturing sector for over 20 years. Mason worked as a tool and die maker before transitioning into manufacturing sales.
- Susan McKinney, Executive Director at Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council. Her work includes development of agricultural programs, sustainability of local food systems, economic development, youth environmental education, as well as conservation of farmlands and natural resources.
- Nicole Riggs Broesch, the Founder and driving force behind fern+daisy—a sustainable U.S.-made women’s apparel brand. Now calling Knoxville home, she combines her passion for creativity with a dedication to rural community upliftment, employing her brand to empower marginalized women in Central Appalachia. Her mission is to invigorate her community through innovative industry approaches and cultivate new avenues of economic diversity.
The Institute is a comprehensive regional leadership training program developed by ARC in partnership with UT, Knoxville and its Howard H. Baker Jr. School for Public Policy and Public Affairs; Tuskegee University; and Collective Impact.
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