Meet the 2018 Board Excellence Conference Presenters

LEARN MORE & REGISTER FOR THE 2018 BOARD EXCELLENCE CONFERENCE

Elle Benson, MBA (It Starts in the Boardroom: Building a Culture of Diversity)

Elle Benson is the Director of Capacity Building for the Alliance for Better Nonprofits (ABN). She is certified in RightPath assessments and Standards of Excellence for Nonprofit Organizations, and has completed over 500 hours of nonprofit management training. In addition to assisting nonprofits through ABN, she teaches nonprofit management courses for the University of Tennessee’s non-credit department.

Elle is originally from Denver, Colorado and came to Tennessee via the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she graduated from the College of Business. She completed her MBA in leadership at Tiffin University. Before joining ABN, Elle served as marketing supervisor for LBMC, PC, and was the director of operations for the YWCA Knoxville.

While serving as president of Young Professionals of Knoxville (YPK), Elle created the YPK Leadership Certificate program and YPK Impact Awards. She serves on the board of Friends of Literacy and the Alliance for Infant Mental Health in Tennessee, and has served on the boards for City People, American Marketing Association Knoxville, and the United Way Young Leaders Society.

Chuck Carringer, Ph.D. (The Importance of Leading Well)

Chuck Carringer, Ph.D. is an executive coach, trainer and speaker based in the Knoxville area. An expert in leadership development, he partners with his executive coaching, training, and speaking clients to take their leadership and performance to the next level. Dr. Carringer holds a doctorate in Executive Leadership emphasizing executive coaching and leadership styles, and is a founding partner of the prestigious John Maxwell Coaching, Speaking, and Training Certification Program.

Leveraging 30+ years of experience, Dr. Carringer understands the challenges leaders face and is passionate about creating an experience through his executive coaching, training, and speaking that encourages clients not to just think about leadership, but to embrace and implement these principles resulting in growth, improved performance and cultural change.

Dr. Carringer is a former distinguished, public school educator. He served 24 years in a variety of roles at the high school level including teacher, Hall of Fame coach (most career victories for any boys’ basketball coach in school history), athletic director, and principal (during his tenure the graduation rate increased from 79% to 92% and he successfully completed a 58 million dollar construction renovation project).

Dr. Carringer is known for his successful executive coaching engagements with leaders at every organizational level helping them advance in both leadership and performance outcomes. He has provided training and speaking sessions to diverse audiences featuring best practice content delivered in an engaging and inspirational style.

Steve Diggs (Leading Together: The Board Chair and Executive Director Relationship)

Steve Diggs is a Knoxville native and graduate of Karns High School. After obtaining a degree in business management from Maryville College in 1988, he came to Emerald Avenue United Methodist Church as a part-time youth director, following in his father’s footsteps of church ministry. He immediately sensed that urban ministry was a part of God’s call on his life, and Emerald Youth Foundation was formed in 1991. Since that time, Steve has served as president and CEO, leading the organization to tremendous growth over the past two decades.

In addition to his studies at Maryville College, Steve completed work at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also a 1997 graduate of Leadership Knoxville and a 2017 graduate of Leadership Tennessee. He has served the community in numerous capacities on various boards and through initiatives such as Project GRAD, Tennova Healthcare, and as an advisory council member for the Empowerment Zone.

Steve and his wife Sabrina have two children, Adam and Abby.

Danelle Glasscock (Getting Past Give or Get: Engaging the Board in Meaningful Fundraising)

Danelle Glasscock joined the United Way of Greater Kingsport in September 2010 as their executive director. She brings a unique blend of industry, ministry, and entrepreneurial experience to the position.  A former employee with Eastman Chemical Company with over a decade of experience, Danelle worked in both industrial engineering and human resources, serving in business process improvement and business organization consulting roles. An expatriate assignment with Eastman Chemical Company took Danelle’s entire family to the Netherlands, where she experienced living abroad and learning another language.

Upon returning to the United States, Danelle served for nearly three years in Columbia, South Carolina as the director of children’s ministries at Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church. Capitalizing on her strong background in process improvement and business organization, Danelle became an entrepreneur and motivational speaker, and ran a successful professional organizing company, Simply Organized-Real Help for Real Homes, for five years. Her family once again relocated and returned to Kingsport in 2009.

Her professional experience and successes are second only to her heart for volunteerism, which was built into Danelle early on by her parent’s role-modeling and encouragement. A life-long community servant, Danelle has served women, children, and youth as an active church member in a variety of congregations.

Danelle holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from Auburn University, where she graduated with high honor, and was selected as the Outstanding Graduate from the College of Engineering in 1986.

Danelle and her husband have recently become empty nesters, with the youngest of their three children a freshman at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In her spare time, Danelle enjoys outdoor activities, camping, and nature photography.

Hallerin Hilton Hill (Be the Brand)

Hallerin Hilton Hill’s philosophy is to “grow and help others grow,” and his mission is to inspire, inform and entertain. He was recently recognized by TheGrio.com as one of America’s 100 History Makers in the Making, alongside First Lady Michelle Obama and baseball all-star Jason Heyward.

Hallerin has been a top-rated drive-time radio talk show host for more than 27 years, voted Best Talk Show Host by his loyal listeners. He was recently named one of America’s top talk show hosts by Talker’s Magazine.

For over a decade, Hallerin has produced and hosted the TV talk show Anything Is Possible on East Tennessee’s top-rated station. His guests have included Gov. Bill Haslam, Pat Summit, Chris Whittle, and numerous others. Hallerin has worked with the DIY Network, has appeared in national TV commercials, and served as narrator/host for several documentaries.

As songwriter/singer/producer, Hallerin has worked with many renowned artists, including Aretha Franklin and the late Whitney Houston. He co-wrote “Who Would Imagine a King,” recorded by Houston for the movie The Preacher’s Wife. His song “Seasons Change” was recorded by Bishop Paul S. Morton and Aretha Franklin. In addition, he’s written for Take 6, Virtue, Darwin Hobbs, and Fred Hammond, and wrote and performed on T.D. Jakes’ Grammy-nominated album, He-Motions.

Hallerin has spent the last 20 years working with some of America’s top organizations as a speaker and trainer, including Pilot/Flying J, HCA, Mastercraft Boats, JL Audio, Scripps Networks, and many others. He speaks to thousands of people each year to help inspire, motivate, and encourage excellence. Most recently, he has been serving as a guest lecturer in the University of Tennessee’s Professional MBA program.

Hallerin is the author of the best-selling self-help book, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which is also the cornerstone for his wisdom coaching enterprise, Wisdom House, a multimedia company focused on inspiring people around the world to grow in wisdom.

Hallerin is a graduate of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama where he studied communications. He is married to Nedra, and they have two children, Hallerin II and Halle Nicole.

Wylecia Wiggs Harris, Ph.D. (Keynote Presentation – Facing the Future: Nonprofits in Transition)

Wylecia Wiggs Harris, Ph.D. recently joined the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) as CEO after serving as CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) and the League of Women Voters Education Fund. While at the LWVUS, Dr. Harris was responsible for enlivening the national organization. Working with her board of directors, she created and led an organizational transformation strategy to increase the impact, relevance, and visibility of the LWVUS and its 700+ affiliates. Prior to her work at LWVUS, Dr. Harris held senior executive positions at the American Nurses Association, was executive director of the Center for American Nurses, and executive director of the Maryland-based Sister to Sister Foundation, a national organization supporting women’s health issues and heart disease education. Dr. Harris also served as senior vice president and executive director at the American Heart Association.

Dr. Harris holds a Ph.D. in organizational development from Capella University, a master of management degree from Northwestern University, and both a bachelor and honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Wittenberg University. She is an ASAE-certified executive director and certified facilitator for leadership assessments through the Center for Creative Leadership.

Doug Kennedy (Leading Together: The Board Chair and Executive Director Relationship)

Doug Kennedy has more than three decades of experience in the construction industry, joining Johnson & Galyon Construction in 2001. Throughout his career he has been a part of a number of notable projects, including: East Tennessee Children’s Hospital-NICU & Surgery Addition; additions and renovations to Neyland Stadium; the Whittle Communications Corporate Building (now the Howard Baker Federal Courthouse); Dover Downs Hotel & Convention Center in Delaware; renovations at Rockefeller Center in New York City; and the renovation and restoration of Ayres Hall, a landmark structure at the University of Tennessee.

Since 1983, Doug has been a registered architect and a member of the American Institute of Architects, and currently serves on the College of Architecture’s Board of Advisors at the University of Tennessee.

Doug is also an active member of the community, having served on a number of boards and committees, including: Emerald Youth Foundation, where he serves as chairman of the board; 2013-2015 University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Associates; and the University of Tennessee’s Graduate School of Medicine board of visitors.

Before starting his career in the construction industry, Doug was a student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he graduated with honors in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture. Doug and his wife, Vicky, currently reside in Knoxville and have raised three children: Justin, Kristin and Ryan.

Dave McAuley (Relationships, Not Transactions: A New Boardroom Approach)

Dave McAuley is the founder of Summit Leadership Foundation, as well as a founding member and independent certified coach, speaker and trainer of the John Maxwell Team. Summit Leadership Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry located in Johnson City, TN. that exists to help communities by investing in their leaders. Their vision is “Better Leaders = Better Communities.”

Dave has a broad background of leadership experience in business, nonprofit, and church settings. His undergraduate degree is in mass communications and he holds a graduate seminary degree in biblical studies.  Dave became a student of John C. Maxwell’s teaching on leadership in the early 1990’s, and continues to learn and grow as a leader every day. In 2015, Dave designed a leadership development framework, CoreX25, to help busy leaders create intentional excellence through smart and healthy practices.

Two phrases that resonate with Dave are: “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” and “Leadership is influence.”

His passion in life is to add value to the lives and vocations of leaders in order to help them be successful and add value to the lives of those they serve. Dave’s personal mission is to model, mentor, and multiply servant leadership in all his spheres of influence. Leading group coaching sessions and teaching leadership through workshops and conferences are at the heart of his passion.

Dave and his wife Susan have been married for 39 years and live in northeast Tennessee. They enjoy hiking together and spending time with family. They have three adult sons, one daughter-in-law, and a grandson.

Alex Miller, Ph.D. (Doing Good Better: Tips on Becoming a More Effective Board)

Alex Miller, Ph.D. is The William B. Stokely Chair of Business in the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business, and the Pro2Serve Director of the Consortium for Social Enterprise. Previously, he served the college for a decade in a variety of associate dean roles.

Dr. Miller has also worked as a consultant for more than 100 firms, from small nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. He has written three books and numerous journal articles, and has won six teaching-service awards. He has been the principal investigator on research contracts with a cumulative value of more than $15 million dollars.  Dr. Miller was recently invited to join the National Academies where he serves on its Air Force Studies Board.  He also serves on several corporate and civic boards, and served as the founding board chair of the Alliance for Better Nonprofits.

Dr. Miller holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle, an MBA from Dartmouth College, and a BS from Tennessee Technological University.  He has also taken additional course work at Cal Tech, Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, Indiana, and Northwestern.

Carole R. Myers, Ph.D., R.N. (The Power of Board Advocacy)

Carole R. Myers, Ph.D., R.N. is an associate professor in the College of Nursing and with a joint appointment in the Department of Public Health at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Dr. Myers is a strong advocate for access to high-quality, cost-effective care where nurses maximally contribute to improve patient, community, and system outcomes. She frequently writes and speaks on issues related to health and health care. She contributes to discussions on national health reform, the transformation of health care, the role of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and grassroots advocacy. Dr. Myers recently launched HealthConnections, a twice-monthly radio show on WUOT, the Knoxville NPR-affiliate. She posts blogs on the HealthCetera website and the Huffington Post, and is an avid Tweeter (follow her at @TNpolicynurse) and writer of Op-Eds. Dr. Myers is a senior fellow at Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University College of Nursing (2017), an American Associate of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Policy faulty fellow (2017), and recently served as the co-chair of the Tennessee Scope of Practice Legislative Task Force.

Dr. Myers coordinates interdisciplinary graduate health policy courses and a graduate certificate in health policy.  She also conducts research that centers on policymaking and health services with an emphasis on access to care, TennCare, public health programs, APRNs.

Avice Reid, D.Min. (It Starts in the Boardroom: Building a Culture of Diversity)

Avice Reid, D.Min. is the City of Knoxville’s senior director of community relations. In that role, she is the liaison between community organizations and City government, addressing the concerns of these groups. She also supervises community engagement efforts, including the City’s Save Our Sons initiative, the Police Advisory and Review Committee (PARC), the Equal Employment Program, and Title VI Programs, among other responsibilities. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Reid served the citizens of Knoxville as the executive director of PARC for eight years.

Previously, Dr. Reid served as an information technology specialist and senior manager with the Tennessee Valley Authority.  She has been a member of the Leadership Knoxville facilitation services team for over 10 years, working with nonprofit, religious, civic, and governmental groups. She currently serves as chair of the team. As a certified master facilitator, Dr. Reid designs and facilitates group processes to allow organizations to achieve optimum performance in the following areas: vision/mission, board and staff development, team building, group dynamics, navigating change, and data gathering/focus groups.

Dr. Reid is very active in the Knoxville community and is serving, or has served, as a director on numerous boards, including Leadership Knoxville; Home Federal Bank of Tennessee; the United Way of Greater Knoxville; (past secretary); YWCA of Knoxville (past president); Alpha Pi Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (past president); Alpha Pi Omega Foundation (president); the Knoxville chapter of The Links, Incorporated (president); Knoxville area chapter of the American Red Cross (past treasurer); the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation; Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee; Executive Women’s Association (president); the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee; East Tennessee Foundation; and Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee.

Her Education, Training & Certifications include: a BS in Mathematics from Knoxville College; an M.Min. and D.Min.in biblical counseling from Covington Theological Seminary; a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute; Master Facilitator Certification from Leadership Knoxville; and Advanced Facilitation Certification from Lipscomb University.

Jennifer Richter, J.D. (Governing in Tough Times: Sexual Harassment Prevention and Awareness)

Jennifer Richter, J.D. was named associate vice chancellor and director of the University of Tennessee Office of Equity and Diversity in June of 2015. She has more than twenty years of experience in assuring the university’s compliance with state and federal mandates related to faculty, staff, students, and visitors to campus.

Alyssa Sloan, Ph.D. (The Elephant in the Boardroom: Resolving Conflict on Your Board)

Alyssa Sloan, Ph.D. began studying communication as an undergraduate student at the University of Central Arkansas. After working for a nonprofit collegiate ministry, she went on to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, and then earned her doctorate in crisis communication from the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Sloan moved to Knoxville in 2011 to develop a graduate & professional studies communication program for King University. She continues to teach at King University as associate professor and program coordinator of communication for the School of Communication, Information, and Design, and claims that her students are the most rewarding aspect of her job. She researches best practices in crisis communication, health communication, and organizational ethics.

Daniel Watson (Tapping into the Directional Power of Metrics)

Daniel Watson serves as the executive director and co-founder of The Restoration House of East Tennessee. Under Daniel’s leadership, The Restoration House recently opened Phase II of a new 24-unit community for single-mother families, and has raised over $6.5 million in operational and capital funding.

In 2010, Daniel was honored as one of Knoxville’s Top 40 Under 40 Business and Community Leaders by the Greater Knoxville Business Journal. He is an alumnus of Introduction Knoxville (2011), Leadership Knoxville (2014), and the UT Haslam College of Business’s Consortium for Social Enterprise Effectiveness (2014). He served for seven years as a volunteer chaplain for the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and earned his bachelor’s degree from Johnson University.

Panel of ABN Board Members (Doing Good Better: Tips on Becoming a More Effective Board)

Don Parnell, Executive Vice President and Principal at Realty Trust Group

Patricia Robledo, Business Liason for the CIty of Knoxville

Larsen Jay, Founder and CEO of Random Acts of Flowers