After graduating from the former Chattanooga City College, Mattie Moran landed her first full-time job at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce in 1968 as a way to earn some money to pick up a 4-year college degree.
Forty-eight years later, Moran is still at the Chamber after serving in a variety of jobs for Chattanooga's biggest business association.
She started as a secretary in the public affairs department and has worked in membership services, area councils, Leadership Chattanooga and communications. Moran helped build both the Chamber's diplomat program in the 1990s and the workforce development program, which she has headed for the past 16 years.
"It's been a rewarding and interesting career because every day is different, and we get the chance to work with many different people and businesses," Moran says. "We started out working to help employers identify workers and we've moved into schools, job fairs and other programs to help connect students and workers with the jobs that are available by our area employers."
Moran, who ultimately went back to school nights and weekends to earn her bachelor's degree from Covenant College through the Quest program, now spends many hours in middle and high schools helping students with a variety of Chamber-sponsored programs. Moran, the longest serving employee of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, staffs and manages the Chamber's career and workforce readiness programs where she has been instrumental in the two award-winning Chamber public education programs, Reality Check and Career Crunch. Other school-to-work initiatives include Get A Job, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and the College and Career Fair.
The Chamber programs are presented in all 22 of Hamilton County's public high schools.
Moran also acts as the Chamber's resource for assisting with the workforce needs of companies locating a business to Chattanooga, as well as existing local companies that are expanding here.
Moran has served on the Governor's Workforce Board, the Chattanooga Goodwill Industries Board and the Youth Committee for WIOA Area 5. In 2008, she was among the women community leaders honored with a Girls Inc. Unbought and Unbossed Award.
- Dave Flessner