Jackson Crabtree is named CFO of Parkridge East Hospital
Jackson Crabtree has been named chief financial officer of Parkridge East Hospital, according to a news release. In this role, Crabtree will oversee all financial aspects of Parkridge East.
Crabtree brings nearly 10 years of accounting experience with more than five years spent in healthcare. Prior to joining Parkridge East, Crabtree served as assistant chief financial officer at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, a 510-bed acute-care facility in Gainesville, Fla., and internal audit senior manager for HCA Healthcare in Nashville.
"Parkridge East is poised to continue growing and expanding to meet the needs of our community and Jackson's background and depth of healthcare knowledge will be a key asset to helping us achieve our goals," said Will Windham, CEO of Parkridge East Hospital in the release.
Crabtree earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Tennessee Technological University and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi.
Inc.magazine names Text Request on its inaugural Power Partner List
Text Request, the Chattanooga-based business messaging platform, has been named to Inc.'s inaugural Power Partner Awards. According to Inc., the awards honor "B2B organizations across the globe that have proven track records supporting entrepreneurs and helping startups grow."
Globally, only 252 companies made the list, Inc said in a release/
"Being named a Power Partner by Inc. is a testament to our team's commitment to personally helping each of our clients and partners thrive through messaging," said Text Request CEO, Brian Elrod in the release. "I've long said that to be successful in business, you've got to offer a 'must-have' product, not a 'nice-to-have.' It's a joy to know that both our texting platform and our people are relied on by thousands of businesses to reach their goals."
This is the fourth distinction that Text Request has earned from Inc. in the past two years. In both 2021 and 2022, Text Request secured placement on the annual Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes the fastest-growing private businesses in the U.S. Also in 2021, Text Request was honored by Inc. as a "Best in Business" recipient for the organization's commitment to civic initiatives, according to the release.
Home builder RP Homes expands leadership team
Richard Derry has joined RP Homes as purchasing manager and Chuck Spires has been named vice president of construction at RP Homes. Both of the new executives for the Chattanooga-based home-building company have extensive experience in the construction industry, according to a news release.
Derry has more than 25 years of experience within the construction industry and most recently worked for Goodall Homes. He is responsible for the purchasing of all materials that go into building a homes and manages the purchasing department in single and multifamily divisions while also supervising and projecting all direct job costs, the release stated.
Spires has more than 27 years of residential construction management experience. He has specialized in high-production single-family buildings for most of his career, which started in Ohio immediately after high school. Spires manages all of RP Homes' construction, both single and multifamily.
Tennessee Aquarium announces changes to human resources team
The Tennessee Aquarium's human resources team is restructuring to help oversee staffing and volunteer activity at the aquarium, the Creative Discovery Museum and the Hunter Museum of Art, according to a news release.
The aquarium said Mara-Lynne Payne, senior manager of inclusion, equity and diversity, was promoted to director of inclusion, equity and diversity. Leah Wilson, human resource manager, was promoted to director of human resources. Lyndsey Johnson, human resources coordinator, was promoted to human resources manager. Darleene Cole, volunteer manager, was promoted to senior program manager of volunteer services, and Tre'Mere Greer was recently hired as the human resource assistant.
"I am extremely proud of this team and their proven commitment to consistently deliver the highest level of customer service to the Aquarium's staff and volunteers as well as the staffs of the Creative Discovery Museum and the Hunter Museum of American Art," said Julie Piper, vice president and chief human resource officer in a news release. "These promotions and additions will ensure that we are well-positioned to address the current and future needs of our most valuable asset: our employees."
Payne has served in various roles since joining the Tennessee Aquarium 31 years ago. As membership manager, she promoted member events and directed membership and annual giving efforts targeting individuals, families and business partnerships, the release stated. The aquarium later expanded her role to include the supervision of the group reservations team. Currently, Payne is responsible for developing and implementing strategies that promote an inclusive workplace culture, equitable recruitment, accessibility, diversity awareness training and related resources as well as meeting the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Action accreditation standards, according to the release.
Wilson has been part of the aquarium team for 18 years. She was part of the visitor services team before joining human resources in 2012. Over the past 10 years, her responsibilities have expanded into all areas of human resources, including recruiting, training, employee relations, benefits, legal compliance and reporting, and human resources information system management. Currently, Wilson is responsible for developing, evaluating, and implementing human resources policies, programs and procedures in compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations. She is involved with organizational and departmental strategic planning and directs the essential daily functions of human resources while providing guidance and leadership to the human resources team, according to the release.
Johnson has been a part of the human resources team for more than a year. She is currently responsible for daily human resources functions, including orientation, onboarding, benefits, assistance with reporting and employee engagement, according to the release. Cole joined the aquarium more than 30 years ago as one of the first membership associates, a role in which she assisted in developing the membership department. She later moved to the human resources department as the benefits coordinator and for the past five years, Cole has managed the volunteer programs and implemented strategies to enhance and rebuild the Aquarium's volunteer support base, which diminished after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. She currently is responsible for recruitment, onboarding, engagement, measuring impact and communicating with the volunteer base as well as envisioning new opportunities for volunteer involvement throughout the aquarium, the release stated.
Greer is a junior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where she is involved in the Society for Human Resource Management club and Moc Leadership Team. She serves as a mentor to incoming freshmen as part of the Moc Up program, the release stated.
Neurosurgeon Hamid Shah joins Memorial stroke center
Neurosurgeon Hamid Shah, MD, has joined the CHI Memorial Stroke and Neuroscience Center and will provide care in the treatment of conditions of the brain and spine. His expertise is in spine surgery and movement disorders, according to a news release.
Dr. Shah received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City. He completed a neurosurgery residency at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, where he also served as neurosurgery chief resident, the release stated. He completed sub-specialty training in pain and spinal cord physiology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Dr. Shah is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Joint Section Spine, Joint Section Pain, North American Neuromodulation Society, and Tennessee Neurosurgical Society.
La Paz Chattanooga wins Equity in Education award
La Paz Chattanooga was recognized as the recipient of Hamilton County Schools' Equity in Education Award for the organization's advocacy and outreach supporting Latino families and children in the local public school system, according to a news release.
The award was presented at the "Partners in Education" event on Oct. 26.
"In 2003, a year before La Paz opened its doors, there were less than 800 Latino students in the Hamilton County school system; today there are over 8,000," said Stacy Johnson, executive director at La Paz Chattanooga in the release. "We know that no single organization can address all of the challenges these families face, and for that reason, we are proud to partner with HCS in supporting this vital segment of our community."
Since its inception, La Paz has offered a wide range of services catering to the needs of Latino students and their families.
"As our organization has evolved, we've shifted our focus and developed new services that don't just solve immediate issues, but also enable families and future generations to thrive," Johnson said.
Maurya-Ballard directs development for the Hunter Museum of Art
The Hunter Museum of American Art announced that Daisy Maurya-Ballard has been named director of development, leading organizational fundraising efforts including major giving and corporate partnerships.
Maurya-Ballard joins the Hunter Museum following a 14-year career in specialty device and pharmaceutical sales as well as healthcare business development and partner relations, the release stated. A graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and a Woman of Distinction, Maurya-Ballard has served on numerous community boards and chaired several area fundraisers, including CWLI's Impact, the Women's Fund's Voices, the CSO's Uncorked, and most recently, Erlanger's Believe Bash. She was awarded the 2021 Leadership Fundraiser of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
"Daisy's fundraising, sales and business development experience, as well as her deep community ties, will allow her to serve the museum well in this role," Virginia Anne Sharber, executive director of the Hunter, said in a news release. "Her passion for and knowledge of the community will be instrumental as the museum works to continue meeting its mission of connecting people of every background with knowledge, creativity and ideas."
Chambliss law firm adds Drew Ellis to intellectual property section
The Chattanooga law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. has added Drew Ellis, an attorney who will support the firm's intellectual property section.
"Drew has quickly proven himself to be a strong addition to the firm," said Stephen Adams, shareholder and intellectual property section chair at Chambliss in the release. "With his prior engineering and design knowledge, Drew is a great value to our team and our clients."
Through his past work as a mechanical engineer and designer in various patent-heavy industries, Ellis developed a deep understanding of the innovation cycle, the creation and development of patentable ideas, and the process of bringing those ideas to fruition. Now, with Chambliss, Ellis uses his design background in working with innovators and entrepreneurs of all sizes to protect their intellectual property in a practical and cost-effective way, the release stated.
Ellis attended the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he graduated cum laude. He also holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, according to the release. Ellis is licensed to practice in Tennessee and is a member of the Tennessee and Knoxville Bar Associations.
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