MANDI MERCIERSJob: Communications director for the Chattanooga Technology CouncilAge: 22Education: Communications and business advertising degree from Lee University
Meet Mandi Merciers, the new communications director of the Chattanooga Technology Council.
"There's a lot going on in Chattanooga that people don't realize, and that's why we're here," Merciers said.
She epitomizes Chattanooga's nouveau tech transformation, a change stirred by recent college graduates who live and breathe social media, and espouse the power of technology to change lives.
"When I meet people, they think we're just about gadgets and geeks," Merciers said. "But it's much more than that."
The nonprofit Technology Council, which subsists on donations to survive, sees itself as a thought leader in the move toward a more digitally connected future.
Driven by leaders in manufacturing, health care, logistics, insurance and energy, its goal is to help transform Chattanooga's business climate into a "knowledge economy."
And starting now, the Council's local efforts rest squarely on Merciers' 22-year-old shoulders.
That's because Robert Philips, the ex-executive director of the Tech Council, has stepped down to expand his consulting business.
It's been a good year for the group under Philips, he said.
The group expanded its membership by about 25 percent during a down economy, launched a quarterly magazine titled Q, and ran a weekly radio show on WPLZ.
"We pushed out the equivalent of five additional years of content with the weekly radio show," Philips said.
But after 19 months, he's ready to hand the day-to-day control to the next generation.
"That's why we hired her," Philips said. "Mandi can help us foster a regional knowledge economy."
Under Philips, the Council moved toward the role of a communications hub, working with other groups to push science, technology and math -- or Stem -- education in the area.
The Stem focus draws its strength from the council's members, many of whom are on the cutting edge of business and are ringing the warning bell about Americans' falling behind international competitors in the race for technological supremacy.
The workers of the 21st century will no longer resemble unthinking machines on an assembly line, Philips said. He said they'll need to be skilled laborers capable of repairing the robots that make the widgets.
That's where Merciers comes in.
"I see us being kind of a voice, a way to educate the community about technology innovation in the different industries in Chattanooga," she said. "Everything we do is directed at educating people about innovation at our local businesses."
From coordinating the group's meetings to pushing for a four-year medical college in Chattanooga, she'll have plenty on her plate. Right now, she's working to educate people about the potential for the city's gigabit network.
"That could spur medical research here that will change lives," Merciers said. "We can use it for something worthwhile, not just downloading 14 movies at the same time."