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Waterhouse adds Chastain to staff
Waterhouse Public Relations has expanded its team with the addition of Kelsey Chastain, an experienced communications professional and award-winning journalist. In her role as an account executive, she will focus on client needs, strategy and media relations.
In a prior role as a reporter at WTVC NewsChannel 9, she received a first place award from the Tennessee Associated Press for her comprehensive journalism abilities.
“Kelsey is a well-rounded communicator and a great addition to the energy of our team,” said Albert Waterhouse, president and CEO. “Her experience and drive will be a tremendous asset to the firm as we grow client relationships and help create impressions that count.”
Howell operating head for Reliance Partners agency
Reliance Partners, a leading commercial insurance agency, has promoted Laura Ann Howell to the position of chief operating officer. Howell joined Reliance Partners in 2015 as vice president, overseeing human relations and finance. She was promoted in 2017 to senior vice president overseeing operations.
Howell previously served as vice president for Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods where she co-founded a trucking company and freight brokerage. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia
“Laura Ann’s addition in 2015 has been a major catalyst for the growth we have experienced,” says Reliance CEO Andrew Ladebauche. “She is an amazing team builder and it was only fitting that she take the next step in her career with the company today.”
Andrews, Geyer promoted at BlueCross
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has promoted Amy Andrews to serve as director of strategic planning, and David Geyer to serve as director of corporate procurement.
Andrews bears responsibility for directing and overseeing the annual three-year planning and budgeting processes. She has extensive experience in supporting business partners across the company with the tools and resources needed to develop effective investment cases.
“Amy has played a key role in enhancing the company’s planning processes, improving lines of communication and adding new capabilities to establish an industry-leading planning program,” said Dennis Culver, vice president, treasurer and chief risk officer for BlueCross.
Andrews has been with the strategic planning team for seven years, and was recently selected for the inaugural class of the BlueCross Emerging Leaders program, which provides career development for employees with the highest potential. She also participated in the 2016 Diversity Mentoring program.
Before joining BlueCross, Andrews held positions with Alstom, Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK) design and architecture, Strayer University, FedEx and PwC.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and master’s degree in taxation from the University of Mississippi. She is a certified public accountant (CPA), and achieved the highest score in Tennessee on the Nov. 2001 CPA exam.
Geyer will direct strategies and policies governing the acquisition of goods, services and contracts for BlueCross.
Geyer, who has been with BlueCross since 2013, comes to his new role from a position as manager of commercial finance, where he served as a valuable resource to divisions across the company.
“David has partnered successfully with treasury teams, including procurement, on a consistent basis. Working alongside our strategic planning group, he played a key role in developing and analyzing our annual three-year financial plan,” said Dennis Culver, vice president, treasurer and chief risk officer for BlueCross.
Before joining BlueCross, Geyer served as manager of finance at Mohawk Industries, investment controller for Volkswagen and accountant for Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group.
Geyer earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in finance and real estate from Eastern Kentucky University, and a master of business administration in finance and leadership from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Rose director of wastewater systems
Jeffrey Rose has been promoted to director of Chattanooga’s Wastewater Systems Division of the Department of Public Works.
Since March of 2015, Rose has served as the deputy director of the Wastewater Systems Division and has been the interim director of the the program since April. He succeeds Mike Patrick.
In those roles, Rose has helped create a new safety initiative that has significantly reduced the number of lost-time accidents. He will work to continue the division’s work on environmental compliance, customer service and employee engagement.
Rose, a 31-year veteran in the water and sewer treatment business, was the director of the Water Quality Control Department in the City of Maryville for 12 years.
Rose has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee. He is a certified Professional Engineer, a Tennessee Grade II Distribution System Operator and a trainer of leadership and personal development courses.
Helen Ross McNabb Center adds Huisman
The Helen Ross McNabb Center has added Ronda Huisman, a nurse practitioner in family and psychiatric mental health, to its team of providers. Huisman, who specializes in psychiatric mental health, graduated from Southern Adventist University and the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing.
Huisman previously worked as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Volunteer Behavioral Health and the Counsel for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, both in Chattanooga.
“We are excited to welcome Ronda Huisman to our team,” said Gayle Lodato, Helen Ross McNabb Center senior director. “Her passion for others and her desire to provide the highest quality of care will make her an asset to the Helen Ross McNabb Center team.”
Huisman will provide psychiatric assessments and medication monitoring for children, adolescents and adults.
Forensic & Fraud firm adds Haun as investigator
Amie Haun has joined Forensic and Fraud Investigations PLLC as an investigator and director of training and education.
Haun is an accounting lecturer for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Gary W. Rollins College of Business. She is a UTC graduate and earned her executive MBA from Auburn University.
She is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA), The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute (CWLI), and the FBI’s InfraGard. She currently serves as the chair of the city of Chattanooga Audit Committee and on the Board of the Chattanooga Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
“We are very pleased and honored to have someone of Amie’s caliber join our investigative firm. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our firm which will serve the needs of our clients,” said Bill Acuff, managing principal for Forensic and Fraud Investigations PLLC.