Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs

After a Hall of Fame career as a professional athlete and a few decades as a small business owner, Glenn felt called to run for Mayor of Knox County to help others reach their full potential. In 2017, Glenn answered the call to serve and was overwhelmingly elected Mayor of Knox County in 2018.

Lina Kornmeyer, Market Executive, Bank of America

As the Market Executive for Knoxville with the Local Markets Organization, Lina leads Bank of America’s efforts to Deliver One Company in Knoxville through community partnerships, client connectivity, and employee engagement. She has been with Bank of America since 2009 and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2017.

Attendees will have the chance to win one of $5,000 in Lifetime products!

Session 1: Emerging Leaders – Magnolia Room

• Dr. Nancy Scott, Leadership Development Programs Director, Haslam College of Business Executive Degree Programs

Dr. Nancy Scott is the Leadership Development Programs director for the Haslam College of Business Executive Degree Programs. Prior to joining the UT faculty, she was an Assistant Professor of Business at Wheaton College (MA). At UT, Nancy designs and heads the executive education programs’ leadership development assessments and development activities that occur for over 150 leaders in the programs per year. She also teaches a variety of courses in the area of leadership in several of the college’s executive education, MBA, non-degree, and undergraduate programs. Her teaching focuses on leadership as a relational influence process. She covers topics that include power and influence, motivation, performance management, high performing teams, design thinking and innovation, emotional intelligence, and change leadership. In 2015, she won the Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2022 she was a nominee for the Alumni Teacher of the Year Award.

Session 2: Mental Health Panel – Henley Room

• Caitlin Ensley, Senior Director of Education and Outreach, Mental Health Association of East Tennessee

Caitlin Ensley, Senior Director of Education and Outreach at the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, has her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and has worked at MHAET since 2014. With a family history of mental health issues, Caitlin has a professional and person passion for working with youth and decreasing mental health stigma. She works primarily with the Mental Health 101 program, an in-school mental health education program serving over 150 Tennessee schools and 30,000 students during the school year. In the past year she has worked with the statewide Department of Children’s Services office, for-profit companies, school districts, and other community and non-profit organizations to educate their staff on mental wellness for themselves and the persons they serve.

• Lindsay Stone, Senior Director of Children & Youth Mental Health Programming, McNabb Center

Lindsay serves as the Senior Director of Children and Youth Mental Health Programing at McNabb Center, and currently oversees children’s mental health programming in Knox and surrounding counties in East Tennessee. Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Lee University and a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University.

• Liz Clary, Vice President of Behavioral Health, Covenant

Liz Clary has served as the vice president of behavioral health at Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, since 2014. Clary is a dedicated health care professional and servant leader who is passionate about developing and promoting behavioral and addiction services within all East Tennessee communities. In her role, Clary is responsible for the strategic planning and development for inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care services and how the programs respond to the mental and behavioral health needs within the Covenant Health system and East Tennessee region.

• Mark Potts, Director of Clinical Service, Covenant
• Zhannae Cummings, Mental Health Screening Program Director, Mental Health Association of East Tennessee

Zhannae Cummings currently serves as Mental Health Screening Program Director at the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee. She completed her Master of Public Health with a Community Health Education concentration and a Health Policy graduate certificate at the University of Tennessee. Prior to moving to Knoxville for grad school, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Secondary Education at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Zhannae is passionate about health equity and inclusivity, mental health, and overall wellness, with an emphasis on marginalized populations. She hopes to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in these communities and help them to get the help they need.

Session 3: Loud Table Discussions – Kingston Room

• Azsha White, Co-Founder, Knoxville Asian Festival

Azsha White is a full time Voice Over Artist, Actress, and Event Host, living in Knoxville, TN. In 2014, Azsha helped co-found and emcee the Knoxville Asian Festival which has since grown to over 60,000 annual attendees and features acts traveling from both Disney World and other countries. She uses her professional and artistic skills to promote the event via interviews, speaking on television, radio, or live events. Additionally, Azsha is a host for Amazon Live on a bi-monthly show for PetSafe.

• Catherine Porth, Founder, Let Her Speak

Catherine is the Founder of Let Her Speak where she curates women-empowered events, conducts female-focused research, and develops leadership-growth education. She founded Let Her Speak originally with one purpose – to share the stories of women who often get overlooked and forgotten. Her mission is to bring more visibility and support to all women in business. She believes that through community, research, and education – more women will rise to leadership positions.

• Christy Smith, Office Manager and Zan Schriver, Development & Digital Media Manager, Volunteer Ministry Center

Christy Smith has over 14 years of experience serving people experiencing homelessness. She currently performs human resources for Volunteer Ministry Center. VMC seeks to bring more diversity, inclusivity, and equity into their everyday work life. Their desire is for the staff, volunteer, and board member dynamics to look and feel very much like the neighbors they serve.

• Clarence L. Vaughn, III, Office of Diversity and Community Relations Director, Haslam College of Business

Clarence L. Vaughn, III, is the director of the Office of Diversity and Community Relations in the Haslam College of Business, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As diversity and community relations director, Vaughn will provide strategic leadership in creating an integrated vision and shared responsibility for facilitating the college’s diversity goals and for fostering and supporting a campus culture that respects and appreciates individual differences. Through collaboration with offices across the college and university, he will advance diversity and inclusion in the university’s research and educational missions, creating a welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff.

• Cristina Cáceres, Director of Community Resources, Centro Hispano

Cristina Cáceres is the Director of Community Resources at Centro Hispano. She manages programs in health, housing stability and civic participation, creating partnerships to provide resources to the Latino Community. Cristina is from Peru, where she graduated with a BA in Clinical Psychology and worked in a variety of positions within education, such as a School Psychologist for Early Childhood and a University coordinator for international students. In 2017, Cáceres relocated to Germany to pursue a masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies on full scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service.

• Emily Norris, Youth Engagement Coordinator, City of Knoxville Office of Community Empowerment

Emily began her career in 2006 as a ballroom dance competitor, instructor, and studio owner and is a four-time Dancing with the Knoxville Stars Champion. Over 10 years, she helped to raise over $1 million for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital through the DWTKS event, but in 2018, that ground to a halt when she was diagnosed with several medical conditions that were incompatible with a continued career in dance. Emily was hired as the Youth Engagement Coordinator for the City of Knoxville in July 2022 and enjoys creating opportunities for youth to engage in local government and their communities and find common ground among diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

• John Camp, Co-Founder, Knox Pride

John Camp lives in Knoxville with his husband Dustin and their four children. With more than 20 years of experience in corporate management and event planning, John is an advocate for equality, body positivity, and community development. John serves as the President of Knox Fringe and alongside his business partners with Camp King Entertainment, he has developed LGBTQIA+ programming for the historic Bijou Theater and other venues. John serves on several area advisory boards in East Tennessee for LGBTQIA+ rights and advocacy as a representative of Knox Pride. In 2020 John Co-Founded the Knox Pride Community & Resource center in Knoxville and is dedicated in serving the community to ensure that they are seen and heard 365 days a year.

• Noah Jones, Development and Communication Manager, Bridge Refugee Services

Noah McBrayer Jones is an original native of Knoxville, TN. He attended Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (receiving his BA) and Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA (receiving both his MLitt and MFA). Since 2005, he has worked professionally in the development, communications, and event management fields with companies such as Clever By Half Productions, Rosetta Stone, the Arts Council of the Valley, the Staunton Downtown Development Association, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee. As of 2021, he is humbled to support Bridge’s empowerment of refugees to grow their new homes in this beautiful area and hopes to honor the lives we touch with his work.

Session 1: Emerging Leaders – Magnolia Room

• Dr. Nancy Scott, Leadership Development Programs Director, Haslam College of Business Executive Degree Programs

Dr. Nancy Scott is the Leadership Development Programs director for the Haslam College of Business Executive Degree Programs. Prior to joining the UT faculty, she was an Assistant Professor of Business at Wheaton College (MA). At UT, Nancy designs and heads the executive education programs’ leadership development assessments and development activities that occur for over 150 leaders in the programs per year. She also teaches a variety of courses in the area of leadership in several of the college’s executive education, MBA, non-degree, and undergraduate programs. Her teaching focuses on leadership as a relational influence process. She covers topics that include power and influence, motivation, performance management, high performing teams, design thinking and innovation, emotional intelligence, and change leadership. In 2015, she won the Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2022 she was a nominee for the Alumni Teacher of the Year Award.

Session 2: Mental Health Panel – Henley Room

• Caitlin Ensley, Senior Director of Education and Outreach, Mental Health Association of East Tennessee

Caitlin Ensley, Senior Director of Education and Outreach at the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, has her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and has worked at MHAET since 2014. With a family history of mental health issues, Caitlin has a professional and person passion for working with youth and decreasing mental health stigma. She works primarily with the Mental Health 101 program, an in-school mental health education program serving over 150 Tennessee schools and 30,000 students during the school year. In the past year she has worked with the statewide Department of Children’s Services office, for-profit companies, school districts, and other community and non-profit organizations to educate their staff on mental wellness for themselves and the persons they serve.

• Liz Clary, Vice President of Behavioral Health, Covenant

Liz Clary has served as the vice president of behavioral health at Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, since 2014. Clary is a dedicated health care professional and servant leader who is passionate about developing and promoting behavioral and addiction services within all East Tennessee communities. In her role, Clary is responsible for the strategic planning and development for inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care services and how the programs respond to the mental and behavioral health needs within the Covenant Health system and East Tennessee region.

• Mark Potts, Director of Clinical Service, Covenant
• Mary Katsikas, Regional Clinical Vice President, McNabb Center

Mary Katsikas has served the community through the McNabb Center for more than 20 years. As clinical vice president, she oversees the Center’s children and youth services in Knox County as well as the full continuum of care in many of the Center’s outlying counties. Her scope of responsibility includes directing the Center’s primary prevention services, juvenile justice programming, foster care, co-occurring adolescent residential treatment, school-based and intensive mental health programming.

• Zhannae Cummings, Mental Health Screening Program Director, Mental Health Association of East Tennessee

Zhannae Cummings currently serves as Mental Health Screening Program Director at the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee. She completed her Master of Public Health with a Community Health Education concentration and a Health Policy graduate certificate at the University of Tennessee. Prior to moving to Knoxville for grad school, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Secondary Education at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Zhannae is passionate about health equity and inclusivity, mental health, and overall wellness, with an emphasis on marginalized populations. She hopes to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in these communities and help them to get the help they need.

Session 3: Loud Table Discussions – Kingston Room

• Azsha White, Co-Founder, Knoxville Asian Festival

Azsha White is a full time Voice Over Artist, Actress, and Event Host, living in Knoxville, TN. In 2014, Azsha helped co-found and emcee the Knoxville Asian Festival which has since grown to over 60,000 annual attendees and features acts traveling from both Disney World and other countries. She uses her professional and artistic skills to promote the event via interviews, speaking on television, radio, or live events. Additionally, Azsha is a host for Amazon Live on a bi-monthly show for PetSafe.

• Catherine Porth, Founder, Let Her Speak

Catherine is the Founder of Let Her Speak where she curates women-empowered events, conducts female-focused research, and develops leadership-growth education. She founded Let Her Speak originally with one purpose – to share the stories of women who often get overlooked and forgotten. Her mission is to bring more visibility and support to all women in business. She believes that through community, research, and education – more women will rise to leadership positions.

• Christy Smith, Office Manager and Zan Schriver, Development & Digital Media Manager, Volunteer Ministry Center

Christy Smith has over 14 years of experience serving people experiencing homelessness. She currently performs human resources for Volunteer Ministry Center. VMC seeks to bring more diversity, inclusivity, and equity into their everyday work life. Their desire is for the staff, volunteer, and board member dynamics to look and feel very much like the neighbors they serve.

• Clarence L. Vaughn, III, Office of Diversity and Community Relations Director, Haslam College of Business

Clarence L. Vaughn, III, is the director of the Office of Diversity and Community Relations in the Haslam College of Business, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As diversity and community relations director, Vaughn will provide strategic leadership in creating an integrated vision and shared responsibility for facilitating the college’s diversity goals and for fostering and supporting a campus culture that respects and appreciates individual differences. Through collaboration with offices across the college and university, he will advance diversity and inclusion in the university’s research and educational missions, creating a welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff.

• Cristina Cáceres, Director of Community Resources, Centro Hispano

Cristina Cáceres is the Director of Community Resources at Centro Hispano. She manages programs in health, housing stability and civic participation, creating partnerships to provide resources to the Latino Community. Cristina is from Peru, where she graduated with a BA in Clinical Psychology and worked in a variety of positions within education, such as a School Psychologist for Early Childhood and a University coordinator for international students. In 2017, Cáceres relocated to Germany to pursue a masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies on full scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service.

• Emily Norris, Youth Engagement Coordinator, City of Knoxville Office of Community Empowerment

Emily began her career in 2006 as a ballroom dance competitor, instructor, and studio owner and is a four-time Dancing with the Knoxville Stars Champion. Over 10 years, she helped to raise over $1 million for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital through the DWTKS event, but in 2018, that ground to a halt when she was diagnosed with several medical conditions that were incompatible with a continued career in dance. Emily was hired as the Youth Engagement Coordinator for the City of Knoxville in July 2022 and enjoys creating opportunities for youth to engage in local government and their communities and find common ground among diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

• John Camp, Co-Founder, Knox Pride

John Camp lives in Knoxville with his husband Dustin and their four children. With more than 20 years of experience in corporate management and event planning, John is an advocate for equality, body positivity, and community development. John serves as the President of Knox Fringe and alongside his business partners with Camp King Entertainment, he has developed LGBTQIA+ programming for the historic Bijou Theater and other venues. John serves on several area advisory boards in East Tennessee for LGBTQIA+ rights and advocacy as a representative of Knox Pride. In 2020 John Co-Founded the Knox Pride Community & Resource center in Knoxville and is dedicated in serving the community to ensure that they are seen and heard 365 days a year.

• Noah Jones, Development and Communication Manager, Bridge Refugee Services

Noah McBrayer Jones is an original native of Knoxville, TN. He attended Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (receiving his BA) and Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA (receiving both his MLitt and MFA). Since 2005, he has worked professionally in the development, communications, and event management fields with companies such as Clever By Half Productions, Rosetta Stone, the Arts Council of the Valley, the Staunton Downtown Development Association, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee. As of 2021, he is humbled to support Bridge’s empowerment of refugees to grow their new homes in this beautiful area and hopes to honor the lives we touch with his work.

Session 1: Emerging Leaders – Magnolia Room

• Dr. Nancy Scott, Leadership Development Programs Director, Haslam College of Business Executive Degree Programs

Dr. Nancy Scott is the Leadership Development Programs director for the Haslam College of Business Executive Degree Programs. Prior to joining the UT faculty, she was an Assistant Professor of Business at Wheaton College (MA). At UT, Nancy designs and heads the executive education programs’ leadership development assessments and development activities that occur for over 150 leaders in the programs per year. She also teaches a variety of courses in the area of leadership in several of the college’s executive education, MBA, non-degree, and undergraduate programs. Her teaching focuses on leadership as a relational influence process. She covers topics that include power and influence, motivation, performance management, high performing teams, design thinking and innovation, emotional intelligence, and change leadership. In 2015, she won the Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2022 she was a nominee for the Alumni Teacher of the Year Award.

Session 2: Mental Health Panel – Henley Room

• Caitlin Ensley, Senior Director of Education and Outreach, Mental Health Association of East Tennessee

Caitlin Ensley, Senior Director of Education and Outreach at the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, has her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and has worked at MHAET since 2014. With a family history of mental health issues, Caitlin has a professional and person passion for working with youth and decreasing mental health stigma. She works primarily with the Mental Health 101 program, an in-school mental health education program serving over 150 Tennessee schools and 30,000 students during the school year. In the past year she has worked with the statewide Department of Children’s Services office, for-profit companies, school districts, and other community and non-profit organizations to educate their staff on mental wellness for themselves and the persons they serve.

• Liz Clary, Vice President of Behavioral Health, Covenant

Liz Clary has served as the vice president of behavioral health at Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, since 2014. Clary is a dedicated health care professional and servant leader who is passionate about developing and promoting behavioral and addiction services within all East Tennessee communities. In her role, Clary is responsible for the strategic planning and development for inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care services and how the programs respond to the mental and behavioral health needs within the Covenant Health system and East Tennessee region.

• Mark Potts, Director of Clinical Service, Covenant
• Mary Katsikas, Regional Clinical Vice President, McNabb Center

Mary Katsikas has served the community through the McNabb Center for more than 20 years. As clinical vice president, she oversees the Center’s children and youth services in Knox County as well as the full continuum of care in many of the Center’s outlying counties. Her scope of responsibility includes directing the Center’s primary prevention services, juvenile justice programming, foster care, co-occurring adolescent residential treatment, school-based and intensive mental health programming.

• Zhannae Cummings, Mental Health Screening Program Director, Mental Health Association of East Tennessee

Zhannae Cummings currently serves as Mental Health Screening Program Director at the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee. She completed her Master of Public Health with a Community Health Education concentration and a Health Policy graduate certificate at the University of Tennessee. Prior to moving to Knoxville for grad school, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Secondary Education at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Zhannae is passionate about health equity and inclusivity, mental health, and overall wellness, with an emphasis on marginalized populations. She hopes to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in these communities and help them to get the help they need.

Session 3: Loud Table Discussions – Kingston Room

• Azsha White, Co-Founder, Knoxville Asian Festival

Azsha White is a full time Voice Over Artist, Actress, and Event Host, living in Knoxville, TN. In 2014, Azsha helped co-found and emcee the Knoxville Asian Festival which has since grown to over 60,000 annual attendees and features acts traveling from both Disney World and other countries. She uses her professional and artistic skills to promote the event via interviews, speaking on television, radio, or live events. Additionally, Azsha is a host for Amazon Live on a bi-monthly show for PetSafe.

• Catherine Porth, Founder, Let Her Speak

Catherine is the Founder of Let Her Speak where she curates women-empowered events, conducts female-focused research, and develops leadership-growth education. She founded Let Her Speak originally with one purpose – to share the stories of women who often get overlooked and forgotten. Her mission is to bring more visibility and support to all women in business. She believes that through community, research, and education – more women will rise to leadership positions.

• Christy Smith, Office Manager and Zan Schriver, Development & Digital Media Manager, Volunteer Ministry Center

Christy Smith has over 14 years of experience serving people experiencing homelessness. She currently performs human resources for Volunteer Ministry Center. VMC seeks to bring more diversity, inclusivity, and equity into their everyday work life. Their desire is for the staff, volunteer, and board member dynamics to look and feel very much like the neighbors they serve.

• Clarence L. Vaughn, III, Office of Diversity and Community Relations Director, Haslam College of Business

Clarence L. Vaughn, III, is the director of the Office of Diversity and Community Relations in the Haslam College of Business, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As diversity and community relations director, Vaughn will provide strategic leadership in creating an integrated vision and shared responsibility for facilitating the college’s diversity goals and for fostering and supporting a campus culture that respects and appreciates individual differences. Through collaboration with offices across the college and university, he will advance diversity and inclusion in the university’s research and educational missions, creating a welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff.

• Cristina Cáceres, Director of Community Resources, Centro Hispano

Cristina Cáceres is the Director of Community Resources at Centro Hispano. She manages programs in health, housing stability and civic participation, creating partnerships to provide resources to the Latino Community. Cristina is from Peru, where she graduated with a BA in Clinical Psychology and worked in a variety of positions within education, such as a School Psychologist for Early Childhood and a University coordinator for international students. In 2017, Cáceres relocated to Germany to pursue a masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies on full scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service.

• Emily Norris, Youth Engagement Coordinator, City of Knoxville Office of Community Empowerment

Emily began her career in 2006 as a ballroom dance competitor, instructor, and studio owner and is a four-time Dancing with the Knoxville Stars Champion. Over 10 years, she helped to raise over $1 million for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital through the DWTKS event, but in 2018, that ground to a halt when she was diagnosed with several medical conditions that were incompatible with a continued career in dance. Emily was hired as the Youth Engagement Coordinator for the City of Knoxville in July 2022 and enjoys creating opportunities for youth to engage in local government and their communities and find common ground among diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

• John Camp, Co-Founder, Knox Pride

John Camp lives in Knoxville with his husband Dustin and their four children. With more than 20 years of experience in corporate management and event planning, John is an advocate for equality, body positivity, and community development. John serves as the President of Knox Fringe and alongside his business partners with Camp King Entertainment, he has developed LGBTQIA+ programming for the historic Bijou Theater and other venues. John serves on several area advisory boards in East Tennessee for LGBTQIA+ rights and advocacy as a representative of Knox Pride. In 2020 John Co-Founded the Knox Pride Community & Resource center in Knoxville and is dedicated in serving the community to ensure that they are seen and heard 365 days a year.

• Noah Jones, Development and Communication Manager, Bridge Refugee Services

Noah McBrayer Jones is an original native of Knoxville, TN. He attended Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (receiving his BA) and Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA (receiving both his MLitt and MFA). Since 2005, he has worked professionally in the development, communications, and event management fields with companies such as Clever By Half Productions, Rosetta Stone, the Arts Council of the Valley, the Staunton Downtown Development Association, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee. As of 2021, he is humbled to support Bridge’s empowerment of refugees to grow their new homes in this beautiful area and hopes to honor the lives we touch with his work.

Adam Ragusea

Adam Ragusea is an American YouTuber with nearly 2 million subscribers who creates videos about food recipes, food science, and culinary culture. Adam is a new Knoxvillian and will join us to share insights on finding your passion, the importance of creativity, and what his experience was like transitioning to our city.

Participants will vote for a non-profit to receive 10% of Summit ticket sales and additional funding provided by United Way of Greater Knoxville. United Way of Greater Knoxville acts in solidarity with our region’s people, businesses, nonprofits, and civic leaders to create a more equitable Knoxville – a community where our neighbors have stable housing, financial security, quality early care and education, access to food, and more.

Join us on the patio for drinks from Eagle Distributing and dessert with The Wooden Spoon!