Deann Bradford – Chair – Middle
Deann has been Executive Director of L’Evate, A Leadership Community since 2001. She leads the organization with stretch goals and succession planning. The organization has over 600 graduates in the Business Program. Other programs created under her watch include a youth program started in 2001, a senior leadership program in 2008 and a community learning series in 2013. She is a proud recipient of the 2009 Robert M. Smith Outstanding Tennessee Leadership Educator Award and the 2020 Outstanding Leadership Program, both from TACL.She believes if you model the behavior you expect from others, they will naturally follow!
I am a proud member of TACL because… it is an organization of people who help others succeed.
A native of Roswell, New Mexico, she and her husband, Mike, have two children, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
She is a 1999 graduate of L’Evate and serves on the board of the Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce. She is a past president of Tennessee Association of Community Leadership (TACL). Previous board appointments include Andrew Jackson Foundation and FiftyForward Donelson Station. Deann also was the founding president of the Larry Keeton Theatre.
LAUREN SALIBA – Vice Chair – West
Raised in Jackson, I completed my high school education at University School of Jackson in 2003, followed by earning a degree from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2007 and later graduating from Jackson State Community College in 2010. My involvement in the Leadership Jackson program spans almost two decades, starting with my graduation from the Jackson Chamber’s Leadership University program in 2001. I am proud to be a member of the 2017 Leadership Jackson class, having served as the co-chair of Leadership Jackson in 2018. Since 2019, I have been an active member of the Leadership Jackson Alumni Association Board. I was fortunate to be able to continue participating now as the Director of Leadership Development for the Greater Jackson Chamber, beginning in 2022.
Additionally, I am a graduate of the Leadership Tennessee – NEXT program. I am happily married to Greg Saliba, who is also a member of the Leadership Jackson Class of 2014. Together, we are blessed with two children, Ava Jane and John.
KARA WILLIAMS – Secretary – Middle
Kara Williams is currently the Director of the Chamber of Commerce for the Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance. She is starting her 13th year in that role. Kara is a graduate of Leadership Maury and a past President and Graduate School grad for her Rotary Club. She coordinates the Leadership Maury, Youth Leadership Maury and Meet Maury programs.
Kara is currently a Board member of the Columbia Rotary Club and serves as Secretary of Thrift Love, a local non-profit that provides employment for persons with disabilities through a wonderful Thrift Store. She also is very active in her church. She serves on several committees but says her best “job” is helping in the church nursery. Kara is also the immediate past President of United Way of Maury County. She served on that board 6+ years because she believes in the mission to help others in her community through the many non-profit agencies.
“I am involved in TACL because…. It is the people! It is always about people and the resources and knowledge they share. From my first conference 12+ years ago, my TACL friends have provided guidance and wisdom that has been invaluable. I have met so many other community leadership people who have inspired me, shared a great idea, or just been there to answer a phone call. It is truly an amazing group of people that are friends and advisors for life. No one else does what you do in your community so this is the best group to help you grow and learn in your role.”
Kathy Parks – Past Chair – East
Kathy retired after working 35 years as a health care social worker. Currently, she serves as the immediate past president for East Tennessee Regional Leadership, is a member of Leadership Roane County Board and is the volunteer program director for Roane County Youth Leadership.
Having worked in health care for many years, Kathy continues to be the facilitator for Roane County’s Alzheimer’s Support Group and serves as a board member for the Roane Health Council. She also does community education for Alzheimer’s Tennessee, as well as work on the annual planning committee for the Five County Walk. In addition she serves as a board member for Roane County’s Chamber of Commerce.
“I am involved with TACL because … I am passionate about developing young leaders and growing the leadership capabilities of all. There is always more to learn from others and TACL provides that opportunity through the regional and state conferences as well as the TACL Facebook page. Connecting and developing relationships with others who feel the same about their communities and state is powerful and everyone I’ve met and come in contact with through the organization is dedicated to seeing their communities grow.”
VIRGINIA GRIMES – TACL Treasurer
She serves on the board as treasurer of the Tennessee Association of Community Leadership (TACL). She is a member of the National Association of Leadership Programs (ALP); Martin Business Association; and Martin Citizen’s Police Academy. Grimes is also a Leadership Weakley County graduate, a past member of the Pilot Club of Martin and a former Girl Scout Troop leader. She has served and continues to serve in many leadership roles at her church, as well as involvement in the community.
“I am involved with TACL because … I believe that leadership positions across the state play an important role in the state’s success and the communities accomplishments. TACL also is a great resource, in having others who do the same professional job that you do accessible to discuss new ideas or challenges they are facing in their own leadership program.”
Judy Renshaw – Executive Director
Newly appointed Executive Director, TACL. Retired as Sr. Vice President, Business & Community Services at the Jackson Chamber after forty years. Her position at the Chamber included being instrumental in the beginning of all the leadership development programs: Leadership Jackson (started in 1979), Leadership University (started in 1999), and Leadership Jackson Alumni Association, (started in 1985), directing all of the programs until her retirement.
Investing in the community is a major part of her personality. She serves on the Board of the Jackson Arts Council, Jackson Arts Council Coalition President; Board of the Exchange Club-Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Chair of the Services Committee; Chair of Volunteers for the Andrew Jackson Marathon; WestStar-Madison County Coordinator, Planning Team, WestStar Working Women’s Conference; Council of Elders, Northside Church.
I am involved with TACL because… “I have a passion for leadership development and that gives me a desire for all communities to see the transformation that can take place with a local leadership program. Being an inaugural member of TACL has kept me involved since 1997 because I see the tremendous benefit in the resources TACL is providing and the growth that is a result of taking advantage of those resources. TACL can help new programs, struggling programs, programs that want to continue to infuse new elements, strengthen youth programs, as well as help grow alumni associations. We hope you will join us!”
Board:
Serving 1st yr. of 3 yr. term 1/1/26–12/31/28
Tammy White – East
Leadership Knoxville, Inc.
865-523-9137 (w) /865.384.4462 (c)
Katy Riddle – Middle
Leadership Coffee County
(Manchester Chamber)
931.728.7635 (w) 615.556.8079 (c)
Rachael McKinney – West (filling unexpired term)
2026 TACL Conference Host
Leadership Obion County
(Obion County Chamber of Commerce)
731.885.0211
Serving 2nd yr. of 3 yr. term 1/1/25 -12/31/27
Kathy Parks – East (Officer)
Lauren Saliba – West (Officer)
Kara Williams – Middle (Officer)
Serving 3rd yr. of 3 yr. term 1/1/24–12/31/26
Monty Ross – East (filling unexpired term)
Retired, East TN Regional Leadership
865-705.7837 (c)
etrl.ross @gmail.com
Trish Bouldin – Middle
Leadership Lincoln Board
951.306.7693 (c)
Kayley Coday – West (filling unexpired term)
Leadership Gibson County
(Milan Chamber of Commerce)
731.686.7494 (w) / 731.487.2119 (c)
One-Yr At-Large Board –1/1/26 – 12/31/26
Lisa Fain – East
Leadership Cleveland
423.472.6587 (w) / 423.400.2492 (c)
Deann Bradford – Middle (Officer)
Pat Lawson – Middle
Leadership Middle Tennessee
615-568-0567
Lynn Tucker – Middle
Leadership Brentwood/Youth Leardership Brentwood
(Williamson County Chamber)
615-310-6698
Jennifer Smiley – West
WestStar Leadership
731.571.9839 (c) / 731.881.7298 (w)
Ex-Officio:
Virginia Grimes – Treasurer Emeritus (Officer)
Jack Matthis—- West – Accountant/ Emeritus
Alumnus – Leadership Jackson / WestStar
(Alexander Thompson Arnold, PLLC)
731.686.8371 (w) / 731.499.3784 (c)
Martin Jelinek, Webmaster
Alumnus – Leadership Jackson / WestStar
Judy Renshaw – Historian Emeritus
(Executive Director)
Robert “Bob” Smith—Chair Emeritus
WestStar Leadership
724.496.2000 (c)
Susan Carlisle—Middle – Newsletter
Former Staff of Gattis Regional Leadership
(MMAS CPA)
931.638.3539 (c) / 615.767.2388 (w)
Cary Vaughn – West – Fundraising
WestStar Alumnus & Leadership Millington Bd.
(Love Worth Finding Ministries)
901.289.1254 (c) / 901.382.7900 (w)
Rachael McKinney – West
2026 TACL Conference Host
Leadership Obion County
(Obion County Chamber of Commerce)
731.885.0211
PRESS RELEASE
T.A.C.L. ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP FOR 2026
For more information contact:
Judy Renshaw, TACL Executive Director
TACLResources@gmail.com or 731.394.2205
The Tennessee Association of Community Leadership (TACL) recently elected their Officers and Board members for 2026 at their Annual Conference & Membership Meeting in Monroe County. TACL serves as a resource to help build, support, and enhance community leadership development in counties across the state.
Elected to serve as our 2026 Officers are: Chair: Deann Bradford, L’Evate Leadership (Middle TN); Secretary: Vice Chair: Lauren Saliba, Leadership Jackson (West TN); Kara Williams, Leadership Maury County (Middle TN); Treasurer: Virginia Grimes, Retired -WestStar Leadership (West TN); and Immediate Past Chair: Kathy Parks, Youth Leadership Roane County (East TN); and Judy Renshaw, TACL Executive Director.
“We are super excited about the wonderful talent we have on the 2026 Board of Directors! said Deann Bradford, 2026 Board Chair. “They all bring unique experience and knowledge to TACL.”
Working with our officers are the returning Board Members: Kristina Anderson, Leadership Henderson County (West TN); Trish Bouldin, Youth Leadership Lincoln (Middle TN); Katy Riddle, Coffee County Leadership (Middle TN); Lynn Tucker, Leadership Brentwood (Middle TN) filling an unexpired term; and Jennifer Smiley, WestStar Leadership (West TN).
New Board members include: Lisa Fain, Leadership Cleveland (East TN); Tasha Holmes, Leadership Collierville (West TN); Pat Lawson, Leadership Middle TN (Middle TN); Summer Ritz, Leadership Cocke County (East TN); Tammy White, Leadership Knoxville, Inc. (East TN).
Serving in an Ex-Officio position are: Susan Carlisle, MMAS, CPA (Middle TN) – Newsletter Design – (Middle TN); Martin Jelinek, Leadership Jackson & WestStar Alumnus (West TN) – Webmaster; Jack Matthis, Board Member of Leadership Jackson / WestStar (West TN) – Accountant/Auditor; Robert (Bob) Smith, WestStar (Middle TN) – Advisor; and Cary Vaughn, Board Member of Leadership Millington & WestStar (West TN) – Fundraising.
A total of 112 leadership programs and 21 individuals across the state make up the membership for the association. These members include adult, youth, and senior community leadership programs, as well as alumni and alumni associations, businesses, and universities representing communities across the state of Tennessee. Our future goal is to have every community leadership program working with us, as members, to advance leadership development across the state. We appreciate our corporate sponsors as well, Amplify Cell Technologies, Alston Construction, Inc. and ATA, CPA’s who allow us to expand program funding and conference scholarships for leadership programs. We also appreciate our business members: Burckhard Financial Group LLC/New York Life; Love Worth Finding Ministries, and Foreman Leadership.
“Our mission is to be a resource for the growth and development of existing, as well as new community leadership programs across the state,” said Judy Renshaw, Executive Director. “We are excited that our fall 2026 Annual Leadership Conference will be in Obion County, Tennessee October 14-16. The Conference is just one of the great opportunities we provide for networking, growth, sharing of ideas, and recognition of the great job being done in each of our counties across the state by leadership development programs…..creating leaders to lead our communities and our state now and in the future.”
TACL also wants to recognize the contribution of Board members retiring at the end of 2025: Michelle Adkisson, Leadership Morgan (East TN); Stephanie Brackman, Leadership Rutherford (Middle TN), Karyn Clark, Leadership Claiborne (East TN); Brandy Gentry, Leadership Monroe County (East TN); Mark Hutchins, IMPACT Leadership Board (Middle TN); and Courtney Hutcheson, Youth Leadership Knoxville (East TN).
If you are not a member and want more information about benefits and how to get involved, contact Judy Renshaw, Executive Director, TACLResources@gmail.com or visit our website, www.leadershiptennessee.com.