Molly Blankenship will join trucking and logistics firm U.S. Xpress in August, leaving her roles as vice president of talent initiatives for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and executive director of educational collaborative Chattanooga 2.0.
"It is not an easy decision," said Blankenship, who has been with the Chattanooga Chamber since 2018, and has led Chattanooga 2.0 since 2019. "Working with Chattanooga 2.0 and the Chamber, getting to know Chattanooga and work alongside some of the most intelligent and brave, service-oriented leaders I've ever known, has been the greatest privilege of my career."
Last week, Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Bryan Johnson announced he would leave his role after four years for a job leading strategic work for U.S. Xpress as chief of staff. The educational leadership changes represent a significant transition for "cradle-to-career" education work in Hamilton County, Blankenship said.
"Embedded in that transition is the opportunity to build on the success we've had to date," she said.
In her new role at U.S. Xpress, Blankenship will be head of people for the company's Xpress Technologies division. She will lead talent acquisition, employee development and culture initiatives for the organization. The job will allow her to focus on workforce development and educational initiatives from the private sector perspective, Blankenship said.
"I think we're going to be able to stand up some really high-impact and innovative strategies that will serve as a model in the community and across the country," she said. "It seems like a natural next step."
Miles Huff, who had been senior director of talent initiatives for the chamber, has been promoted to the role of vice president, Blankenship said. The board of Chattanooga 2.0 will convene a committee to conduct a search for a new leader.
"We are ready for the next leader who's going to take us even further," said Blankenship, who was named a Forbes "30 Under 30" for 2021. "Chattanooga 2.0 has always been about transcending any one organization or leader."
U.S. Xpress is going through a transformative time and chasing aggressive goals, CEO Eric Fuller has said.
Among those goals is doubling revenue in the next four years, doubling community engagement, expanding training and development and growing its digitally-managed Variant fleet.
U.S. Xpress has 10,000 employees and generated more than $1.8 billion in revenues last year.
Contact Mary Fortune at mfortune@timesfreepress.com. Follow her on Twitter at @maryfortune.