Naifeh Center Trains THEC Leaders

The Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership partnered with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) for a two-year leadership academy with 10 cohorts serving 120 state employees. This leadership academy encourages lifelong learning for all employees and provides THEC and TSAC staff with opportunities for professional growth.

Naifeh Center Director Macel Ely facilitated the first session, and topics included how to maximize strengths on various leadership teams and how to use best practices in bridging the generational gap in the workplace.


CIS Consultant Receives Award

Andre Temple, a solutions consultant for the UT Center for Industrial Services, an agency of the Institute for Public Service, received the Trailblazer Award from the UT Knoxville Commission for Blacks.

Andre Temple

The Trailblazer Award highlights significant accomplishments and the associated journey of the university’s African-American alumni or individuals currently or previously associated with UT. Each year, four notables are recognized with the aim to promote and honor African-Americans who are trailblazers. Temple received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UT Martin.


Johnson City, MTAS Plan for Future

Steve Cross

At the request of the Johnson City Fire Department, Municipal Technical Advisory Service Fire Management Consultant Steve Cross conducted a study of the department’s staffing and apparatus deployment toward more effective operations.

Cross worked with Fire Chief James Stables and other members of the fire department to collect data, determine daily operational issues and tour the city to identify the fire department’s challenges. MTAS recommendations included reorganizing the rank structure to a model that ensures each fire company has a supervisor and that each supervisor has manageable span of control—an apparatus deployment and response model intended to take the department into the future.