Austin CorcoranAustin Corcoran heads ChaTech
The Chattanooga Technology Council (ChaTech) has named Austin Corcoran as executive director, following his term as interim head of the technology trade group in Chattanooga.
Austin has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has served in leadership roles in both the local non-profit and private sectors, most recently serving as chief of staff at CO.LAB and director of talent engagement at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. He has served on the ChaTech board for over three years before stepping in as interim executive director for ChaTech in March.
“Austin will bring additional leadership, energy, and creativity to the organization’s programs and a deep commitment to our community and businesses,” Daniela LaCelle, assistant vice president of IT delivery at Unum and chair of the ChaTech board, said in a statement. “He has served other area non-profits at the program, fundraising, and leadership levels, and has a range of perspective and experience.”
ChaTech also announced the upcoming fourth annual Chattanooga Technology Excellence Awards, scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Signal. Nominations and event details can be found at ChaTech.org/TechX. A calendar of in-person events, tech-related affinity groups, and additional resources can also be found on ChaTech’s website.
Chandra Ward, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in the River Park.Chandra Ward heads engagement at UTC’s CUIP
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Assistant Professor of Sociology Chandra Ward has taken on the added role of director of community engagement for the University’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP).
Ward, a UTC faculty member since 2017, is an urban sociologist by training with expertise in public housing policy, low-income neighborhoods, community networks, displacement, urban development and transportation. Her research at UTC has focused on Chattanooga and Smart City projects, and she is currently working with Vanderbilt University and the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority on a multi-million-dollar transportation project that has contributed to her interest in mobility and its relationship to citizenship.
In addition to her tenure-track faculty position, Ward is active in the Chattanooga community–serving on the boards of The Chattery, Stoveworks, Humanities Tennessee and SPLASH Youth Arts.
“Currently, as we are working on projects, we include community engagement either before or during a project, but we want to make sure we have continuous community engagement,” CUIP founding director Mina Sartipi said in a statement. With Dr. Ward in this role, we will be able to do that. We will be able to engage the community, pre-project, to understand the needs, then during the project check that it is aligned with the community’s needs and, afterward, make sure the project’s impact is beneficial to the community.”
JHM and Market Street Partners on IPA 500 list
Two Chattanooga-based accounting firms earned a spot again this year on the IPA 500 list of the largest accounting firms in North America.
The annual list, published by Inside Public Accounting, recognizes accounting firms in the United States with the most rapid growth based on revenue metrics.
JHM Certified Public Accountants, which is headed by Dean Krech, reported 2022 revenues of $7,437,572 and ranked No. 444 on the IPA 500 list.
Market Street Partners, headed by Kyle Bryant, reported 2022 revenues of $6,287,211 and ranked No. 470 on the IPA 500 list.
Lisa Atkins to head operations at CGLA
Lisa Atkins, SPHR, SHRM-CP, has joined Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy and Montessori Elementary at Highland Park as the new director of human resources and operations.
Atkins, who is a recent graduate of Leadership Chattanooga, has worked in staffing and training roles at a number of jobs over the past 15 years, including most recently at Alorica and Xpress Global Systems .
“I’m thrilled to be returning to the education space,” Atkins said in a web post about her new job. “I’ve felt the pull back to education for a long time now and to join a learning community with such a great mission and leadership team is simply amazing.”
Information about new hires, promotions and business awards should be sent to onthemove@timesfreepress.com.