BASF’s Thompson wins national honor
Ashley Thompson, a process engineer at BASF in Chattanooga, has been recognized as a top Emerging Leader by the Manufacturing Institute’s 2017 STEP Ahead awards.
Focusing on science, technology, engineering and processing (STEP), the program honored 130 women nationally recognized for their advocacy, mentorship and leadership in the industry.
Wilkerson keynotes Diversify luncheon
Isabel Wilkerson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The New York Times bestseller “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration,” will give the keynote speech for the Diversify 2017 luncheon on Friday, June 23, at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
The luncheon, sponsored by EPB and the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, is designed to highlight diversity in business and the workforce in Chattanooga.
“The Warmth of Other Suns” explores the impact of decades of migration in which African-American citizens left the South for Northern and Western cities, reshaping American culture and politics and launching the racial challenges our country faces today.
A book-signing session with Wilkerson will follow the Diversify luncheon.
Food Bank taps Aligo to head development
The Chattanooga Area Food Bank, the region’s largest hunger-relief organization serving 20 counties, has hired Sarah Aligo as director of development. In her new role, Aligo will oversee fundraising and community engagement to help eliminate hunger and promote better nutrition.
As the former senior director of alumni programs and development at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, Aligo brings more than a decade of development, fundraising, volunteer and event management experience to the food bank.
Before her time at Case Western, she was director of institutional advancement for the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Nursing, the director of annual giving for the Oklahoma State University Foundation and the assistant director of annual giving for the Kansas University Endowment Association.
“Sarah’s wealth of experience and stewardship of donors’ gifts have already made her a key addition to the food bank family,” said Gina Crumbliss, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. “We are confident her passion and dedication to connecting donors with our mission will have an immediate positive impact in our community.”
A Kansas native, Aligo graduated from Emporia State University and the University of Kansas. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
GNTC names Hosmer to head adult education
Kerri Hosmer has been named vice president of adult education at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. Hosmer brings several years of educational experience in a wide variety of post-secondary and K-12 settings to her new role.
Hosmer has served as the acting vice president of adult education at Georgia Northwestern for the past seven months. Prior positions at GNTC include director of instruction, Georgia Adult Learner Information System (GALIS) data software manager and supervisor of Pearson VUE testing, adjunct instructor, program administrative assistant and volunteer for the Language and Literacy Center at the Rome-Floyd Public Library.
Hosmer has served as a language arts teacher for Floyd County Schools, Ware County Schools, Pierce County Schools and Nassau County Schools. She also was an adjunct English instructor at Okefenokee (now Coastal Pines) Technical College; Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) resource teacher for Nassau County Schools; and an operations analyst and systems coordinator and administrative assistant at BancBoston Mortgage Corporation.
Hosmer holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Jacksonville University and a master’s degree in higher education administration from The University of Alabama.
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