Contributed photography / Thatcher M. SmithAttorney Thatcher M. Smith joins the law firm of Warren and Griffin, P.C. He attended the Duncan School of Law in Knoxville where he obtained his Doctorate of Jurisprudence, graduating first in his class with highest honors, while accumulating 16 CALI Excellence for the Future Awards which are given in recognition for the highest grade achieved in an individual class. Smith is a Chattanooga native that, prior to law school, graduated from Boyd Buchanan High school and later attended the University of Tennessee for his undergraduate education before starting law school.
Ashley Ward is the new director of Medicare Advantage provider network innovation for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. This is a new role for the organization. In this position, Ward will develop and drive initiatives that strengthen provider partnerships and improve health outcomes for BlueCross members with a Medicare Advantage plan. Ward has more than 25 years of experience in health care, most recently serving as manager of provider engagement and outreach in the company’s senior care division. Before joining BlueCross in 2016, she led operations with direct involvement in managed care activities for a large physician group in East Tennessee. Ward earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from East Tennessee State University.
Ashley Evans joins as the director of major and planned giving for Erlanger. Evans, who grew up on Signal Mountain, earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Georgia. Prior to joining Erlanger, Evans was the executive director for Volunteers in Medicine, Chattanooga, where she helped raise more than $3 million in private funds for the general operations of a free primary care clinic for uninsured adults. She is particularly proud of a project funded that resulted in excellent outcomes for participating diabetic or hypertension patients who were introduced to vegan lifestyles and health classes.
Jennifer Thomas is promoted to vice president and regional operations manager at Southern Heritage Bank. Thomas has worked in banking since 2006. Thomas joined Southern Heritage in 2014 and served as teller operations manager until October 2016 when she became AVP & Professional Learning Specialist. In January 2017, she also added the branch manager responsibilities at the Georgetown office until October 2017, when she was named assistant vice president and technical training specialist.
Sonal Modi is promoted to finance manager for the state at Tennessee American Water. In this position, Modi oversees the company’s budgeting process and financial reporting. Modi will continue to report to Brian Queen, chief financial officer of Southeastern States for American Water. Modi first joined Tennessee American Water as a financial analyst and served in that capacity for three years before moving into the position of business performance manager. In that role, she worked closely with the operations side of the business. After two years, she returned to the financial analyst role, supporting the budgeting and internal reporting services function. In this capacity, she supported multiple states on budgeting and internal reporting. Most recently, she has served as an analyst for the American Water Southeast States finance team.