Cleveland State Community College

Bryan Hall, Executive Director of Tellico Reservoir Development Agency (TRDA). His primary duties are to manage and develop the properties surrounding the Tellico Reservoir in Blount, Loudon and Monroe Counties. Prior to rejoining TRDA, Bryan served as Director of Economic Development for Monroe County for four years beginning in 2014. Bryan is a native of Madisonville, Tennessee in Monroe County. He attended East Tennessee State University where he earned a degree in business marketing in 1986. After graduation, he began his career at Langdale Forest Products where he started as a general laborer and advanced to the position of General Manager until leaving in 1995. Bryan then pursued a career as owner and operator of a private retail and wholesale business from 1995-2013

Hugh Wilson is a lifelong resident of McMinn County, attending McMinn County High School, graduating in 2012. Hugh went on to pursue an associate’s degree at Cleveland State Community College, an undergraduate degree from Tennessee Wesleyan University, and also a Masters of Business Administration from Tennessee Wesleyan University. He serves on several non-profit organization boards, including the Cleveland State Alumni Council. He started his business VIP Promotional Products in 2017 with several business partners and continues to operate it today.

Margaret M. Schenck, a true entrepreneur building a local business (United Knitting from the beginning to a 35-million-dollar company in 25 years, continues to devote her free time to local nonprofits. She was the 34th recipient of the prestigious MC Headrick Free Enterprise award and only the fourth woman. Schenck volunteer with Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region, winning their highest honor, The Ron Braam award, in 2015. She also serves on the Tennova Hospital Board, is the current chair of the Bradley Cleveland Public Library, and also is a member of the Cleveland State Foundation Board. Margaret is married to David and they have been Bradley County residents for over 45 years. They have one son and two grandchildren.

Mike Griffin enjoyed a 32-year banking career with First Tennessee Bank. His most recent position was Community President in Cleveland, TN in 2019, Mike made a career change and accepted the role of President & CEO of the Cleveland Bradley Chamber of Commerce. Mike is a graduate of the University of TN at Chattanooga, the Tennessee Commercial Lending School and Tennessee School of Banking. He also served as President of the Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association and was the recipient of the Servant Leader Award from the Tennessee Association of Community Leadership in 2010. This year he was presented with the William F. Johnson United Way Community Service Award which is the highest accolade for volunteerism the United Way of the Ocoee Region presents

Susan Vandergriff is the Founder and CEO of The Happy Birdwatcher Company, launched in 2021 because of Susan’s own passion for birdwatching and the happiness it brings. Prior to pursuing this entrepreneurial venture, Susan was a leader in the Chattanooga nonprofit community for six years. Before that she enjoyed an 18-year banking career and ran her own Kindermusik studio. She holds a B.S. in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Master’s in Human Services Counseling. Susan is a Leadership Chattanooga graduate and has previously served on various nonprofit boards and committees. She currently volunteers her time as a UT Promise mentor. Susan is a lifelong resident of the Sequatchie Valley, Tennessee and lives there with her husband Sam Tibbs. They have six children ranging in age from eleven to twenty-three.

Tony and Ginger Gobble, lifelong residents of Bradley County, have been married for thirty-four years, and have two daughters. Tony graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College in 1984, and began his career as an automotive technician with John Hicks Oldsmobile in Chattanooga. Ginger continued her education at Cleveland State with a few bookkeeping classes and began her career in the office at Cooke’s Food Store. In 2003, Tony and Ginger opened Gobble’s Automotive, which they currently operate today. Their slogan ‘Why squabble-depend on Gobble’ came from Tony’s grandfather, Lewis Gobble, who owned and operated Gobble’s supply Company in 1939, in the historic downtown Cleveland.

Frederick W. Platz, Jr “Rick”- After thirty years of professional experience as a senior manager with New York Telephone, AT&T and Citibank, Rick retired in1999 to take a position with the Cleveland State Small Business Development Center. As Director of the Small Business Center from 1999 to 2010, he counseled hundreds of individuals who wanted to start a business and those or who already owned one. While Director and even after retiring, Rick taught courses such in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales, and Business Finance as an adjunct instructor, and continues to teach an Entrepreneurship course today instructor/mentor for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Veterans Entrepreneurship Program. He developed and monitors a self-paced five-week online program to help veterans define and refine their business concept. He also mentors and assists veterans with the planning and launching of their businesses.

Frenise Mann is a Certified Behavioral Financial Advisor. She is a business solution specialists, women’s mentor, speaker, author, and multifaceted executive. She is passionate about helping individuals and families leave a financial legacy for the next generation, obtain financial freedom, build wealth, and break generational cycles of debt and poverty. When she is not engaged in her business endeavors, she enjoys teaching, mentoring, and disciplining young women in business and life. She has been married to Carlos Mann for 23 years. They are Certified Marriage Coaches through Prepare/Enrich. Frenise was inspired to write her first book in 2014 (“Priceless”) to help women know their true identity Frenise Mann received her Bachelor of Science in Finance from University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a Master of Business Administration from Virginia College and a Master of Science in Finance from New England College of Business.

Nancy Casson has lived in Bradley County since 1980. She is the owner of a gift shop called Red Ribbon. Casson previously worked as an elementary and special education teacher for McMinn County Schools. While working in the field, she received the State of Tennessee’s Outstanding Young Educator Award, the Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award, and the Outstanding Young Woman Award. Outside of her career in education, Casson also received the Robert L. Varnell Leadership Award in 2010 and the Community First Award of Volunteer Service in 2016

Jennifer Pennell – Aslinger joined the staff at Jr Achievement of the Ocoee Region in October of 2017. After almost 20 years in banking she serves as President of the organization that teaches students about workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. She is married with 2 dogs and enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews. After graduating from Bradley Central High, Pennell-Aslinger received an associate of science degree from Cleveland State Community College. She has volunteered with Jr Achievement for the past 19 years and has served on the board since 2010. A native of Bradley County, Pennell-Aslinger enjoys sharing her enthusiasms for helping others prepare for their financial future and loves helping students in grades K-12 in Bradley, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk counties.