Office of the President & CEO

Amanda Dagg
Amanda Dagg

Executive Assistant to the President & CEO

Provides administrative support to the president and CEO, as well as to the Chamber’s senior staff members and Board of Directors.

423.763.4396

Finance & Operations

Joshua Murphy
Joshua Murphy

Chief Financial Officer

Leads all efforts related to accounting, finance, human resources, information management, legal and risk management, compliance, and facilities operations, as well as providing ancillary support to collaborative initiatives.

423.763.4349

Uzma Shahbaz
Uzma Shahbaz

Accounting Manager

Manages the daily operations of the accounting and finance department with primary responsibility for financial reporting, cash and treasury management, accounts receivable, and employee compensation and benefits.

423.763.4344

Dustin Harris
Dustin Harris

Senior Director, Information Technology

Directs the daily operations of the Chamber’s information management systems, computer hardware and telephony systems including maintenance, updating, and acquiring new systems to ensure seamless operation and minimize downtime.

423.763.4354

LinkedIn

Lauren Topping
Lauren Topping

Applications Manager

Responsible for deployment and maintenance of membership database and other application, SharePoint and reporting.

423.763.4383

DonTee Merriwether
DonTée Merriwether

Facility Operations Manager

Provides a full range of support services to ensure the optimization of Chamber facilities, including tenant relations, vendor management, maintenance, room setup, technology support, and other duties related to the efficient and effective use of the 811 Building.

423.763.4322

Membership

Ben Cairns
Ben Cairns

Vice President, Membership

Generates revenue for Chamber and Foundation by developing strong relationships with existing and potential members and stakeholders. Promotes transformational investments for the Chamber and supports ongoing fundraising efforts and investor engagement for the Foundation.

423.763.4331

LinkedIn

Jack Westbrook
Jack Westbrook

Member Relations Executive

Generates revenue for the Chamber by building relationships with potential members and onboarding new members. Supports member businesses by engaging them in Chamber activities to promote retention and lasting relationships.

423.763.4346

Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson

Member Relations Manager

Plays a key role in growing and supporting the Chamber’s business community. Focused on recruiting new members, building strong relationships, ensuring long-term retention, and promoting Chamber Foundation engagement.

423.763.4385

LinkedIn

Brenda Harrison
Brenda Harrison

Administrative Coordinator

Responds to and routes in-bound calls from Chamber members and people seeking information about the Chattanooga area. Provides administrative support to various Chamber departments. Prepares and sends relocation packets.

423.763.4320

Ross Katayama
Ross Katayama

Manager, Engagement and Volunteer Leadership

Provides support by performing coordination and execution of Council related activities including board and regular monthly meetings as well as other membership related duties.

423-763-4368

Kerry-Beth Carico
Kerry Beth Carico , IOM

Senior Director, Investor Engagement

Leads and directs all programs and initiatives designed to deliver superior benefits and services to our top investors, including top investor engagement and relationship-building. Directs the Chattanooga Chamber Signature Event Sponsorship Program. This includes retention of sponsors and execution of benefit delivery. Oversees social media marketing as related to external events.

423.763.4342

Caroline Pfister
Caroline Pfister

Events Coordinator

Coordinates the end-to-end execution of Chamber programs and events including Signature Events, AM Networking Events, and Business After Hours. Responsible for logistics, sponsorship fulfillment, vendor coordination, and attendee experience.

423.763.4353

Carly Carter
Carly Carter

Member Services Coordinator

Provides administrative, program, and logistical support in the Member Investor Services Department. Primary lead for ribbon cuttings and the Chamber’s Ambassador volunteer program.

423.763.4352

Public Policy

Diversity & Inclusive Growth

Darian Scott
Darian Scott

Director, Talent and Economic Inclusion

Directs the Chamber’s economic inclusion efforts by engaging with and recruiting historically disadvantaged segments of the community while promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace and workforce development.

423.763.4362

Economic & Talent Development

Adam Myers
Adam Myers

Vice President, Economic and Talent Development

Manages and coordinates all efforts related to economic development including business recruitment, existing business, and research. Serves as the Chamber’s primary business recruitment officer.

423.763.4350

LinkedIn

Miriam Hamilton
Miriam Hamilton , TCEcD

Director of Research

Leads Chamber’s research efforts, which include compiling statistical data sets related to economic and workforce development. Assists with information gathering for recruitment RFIs, members, investors and regional economic development partners.

423.763.4334

Tessa Gwyn
Tessa Gwyn , TCEcD

Manager, Economic Development

Identifies and advocates the retention and expansion of existing businesses and attraction of new businesses in the Chattanooga Chamber’s key target industries for office sectors in the greater Chattanooga area.

423.763.4338

Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris

Economic Development Coordinator

Provides coordinated administrative, project, data, and event support to the Economic Development Department.

423.763.4337

The INCubator at the Hamilton County Business Development Center

Marcherie Savage
Marcherie Savage

Director of Entrepreneurial Development

Manages The INCubator program that provides resources for growth and financial stability for 70+ start up business. Serves as staff liaison to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.

423.648.2942

LinkedIn

Kendall Davis
Kendall Davis

Operations Coordinator

Supports the daily operations and property coordination needs of the INCubator, with a focus on facility coordination, administrative support, and ensuring a positive client experience.

423.648.2943

LinkedIn

Marketing & Engagement

Jeremy Henderson
Jeremy Henderson

Vice President, Marketing & Engagement

Leads Marketing Communications and leadership Development and serves as Chamber spokesperson. Builds the Chamber brand and manages marketing communications on the national, regional and local levels. Leads in developing and executing a world-class communications program through managing activities that advance, enhance and protect the brand reputation of the Chattanooga Chamber, the Chamber Foundation and their respective programs.

423.763.4347

Jamison Shimmel
Jamison Shimmel

Director, Leadership Development & Community Engagement

Develops and manages an aligned talent engagement system for greater Chattanooga — focusing on the professional development of early career, mid-career and established professionals through programs including Leadership Chattanooga, Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association, Protégé Chattanooga, Young Professionals of Chattanooga, and more.

423.763.4378

LinkedIn

Chaeli Foriest
Chaeli Foriest

Leadership Development Coordinator

Coordinates the logistics and support of Leadership Chattanooga, Leadership Chattanooga Alumni (LCAA), Young Professionals of Chattanooga (YPC), and Protégé programs.

423.763.4339

LinkedIn

Hannah Mitchell
Hannah Mitchell , MBA

Associate Marketing Coordinator

Develops and implements a content and engagement strategy for the Chamber’s social media accounts and oversees the production pipeline for several blogs and print publications.

423.763.4371

LinkedIn

Chattanooga 2.0

Sonia Stewart
Sonia Stewart

Executive Director

As Executive Director of Chattanooga 2.0, the Cradle-to-Career partnership of Greater Chattanooga, leads Chattanooga 2.0 in building cross-sector partnerships to ensure every student has the resources and support they need to unlock their full potential.

423.763.4345

Jennifer Andrews
Jennifer Andrews

Director of Early Childhood Strategies

Leads work to improve child outcomes through systems coordination and alignment across the early childhood sectors of health, learning, and family supports. She serves as the facilitator of the Early Matters action team and helped drive the creation and implementation of the 2025 Early Childhood Action Plan.

423.763.4355

Brandon Hubbard
Brandon Hubbard-Heitz

Chief Strategy Officer

Aligns and leads community-wide efforts to increase early literacy in partnership with Hamilton County Schools while also collaborating with stakeholders to improve whole child supports outside of school time.

423.763.4377

Rachel Kramer
Rachel Kramer

Director of Data Strategy & Impact

Designs comprehensive strategies for using data and metrics as part of Chattanooga 2.0’s work including program evaluation and the development of birth-to-career data tools and visualizations to communicate with diverse audiences and stakeholders across our community.

423.763.4397

Jasmine Fernandez

Director of Adolescent Strategy & Collective Impact

Leads the development and execution of Chattanooga 2.0’s adolescent strategy, with a focus on creating the conditions, systems, and aligned support necessary for young people to thrive. Key architect for the collective impact work helping to align partners, resources, and policy to drive measurable outcomes.

Ashley D Williams
Ashley Williams

Children’s Funding Coordinator

Helps coordinate innovative projects to support Hamilton County’s early care and education system.

423.763.4375

Haile Nottage
Haile Nottage

Director of Chattanooga Future Fund

Leads the development of the Chattanooga Future Fund, a career pathway initiative working to ensure that Hamilton County students progress toward post-secondary plans.

423.763.4358

Alexandra Shappley
Alexandra (Al) Shappley

Chattanooga Future Fund Engagement Coordinator

Supports the Chattanooga Future Fund team with program and event coordination, marketing, and administrative tasks to help advance the impact of the Chattanooga Future Fund.

423.763.4329

Kristen Buckley
Kristen Buckley

Literacy First Program Manager

Manages the day-to-day operations of the AmeriCorps Literacy First K–2 Tutoring program, focused on program coordination, tutor support, and compliance with AmeriCorps regulations.

LinkedIn

Jessica Friedman
Jessica Friedman

Director of Viable Pathways to Prosperity

Provides project management and implementation support for the Viable Pathways to Prosperity initiative.

423.763.4395

Deonte Grimes
Deonte Grimes

Viable Pathways Advisor

Supports young adults in Chattanooga 2.0’s Viable Pathways to Prosperity initiative from recruitment to training and employment. Provides hands‑on advising, partner coordination, and progress tracking to support long‑term career success.

423.763.4351