Audio clip
Warren Logan
James McKissic said he sometimes felt alone and isolated since returning to Chattanooga after living outside the city for 10 years. He wanted to meet people his age.
Then came the Urban League Young Professionals.
“It has introduced me to so many new people in Chattanooga, people I never would have met because they’re in engineering instead of social work,” Mr. McKissic said.
The 38-year-old Urban League chief operating officer is one of nearly 80 members of the Urban League Young Professionals. The group, made up of mostly black professionals ages 21 to 40, will mark its first anniversary at 6 p.m. today.
At the event, President Wade Hinton, a local attorney, will give a presentation on the organization’s first year.
He said it will be a good meeting for people who want to know more about Young Professionals, because it will include a summary of what the group has done and some of its plans for the future.
“We’ve done a significant amount of work in the community,” Mr. Hinton said. “We’ve increased in membership, and we’re beginning to see the impact.”
IF YOU GO
What: Young Professionals first anniversary celebration
When: 6 p.m. today
Where: EPB, 10 West M.L. King Blvd.
Admission: Free
For more information: Call the Urban League at 756-1762
The group helped raise money for earthquake victims in Haiti and for people with diabetes. Its members also served as mentors to inner-city youth. It has hosted professional development events, teaching people financial investing, improving communication skills and showing how to shop for real estate.
Warren Logan Jr., local Urban League of Greater Chattanooga president and CEO, founded Young Professionals in 2009 to develop local young leaders and to have an organization in which like-minded people could work together to enhance each other’s careers, he said.
Several members said they have lived in this area for years but had trouble connecting with other professionals, Mr. Hinton said. After they found Young Professionals they felt more comfortable, he said.
“Making someone feel more at home,” Mr. Hinton said, “it’s a wonderful thing to know that we are a part of that.”
Local TVA engineer Marshalia Green has participated in every event hosted by the group.
“When you want something to do, Young Professionals always has something there,” she said. “You always have an option.”
Continue reading by following these links to related stories:
Article: Young Professionals mark one year
Article: Nonprofit targets young professionals
Article: Urban League forming Young Professionals Association
Yolanda Putman has been a reporter at the Times Free Press for 11 years. She covers housing and previously covered education and crime. Yolanda is a Chattanooga native who has a master’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Alabama State University. She previously worked at the Lima (Ohio) News. She enjoys running, reading and writing and is the mother of one son, Tyreese. She has also ...
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