Earlier this month, the Board of Directors of the First Tennessee Development District hosted the 58th Annual Meeting in Jonesborough.
The meeting was centered on the District's response to Hurricane Helene and brought together state and federal agencies to share resources with community members and stakeholders in attendance.
Mayor Doty of Greeneville, filling in for acting Board Chair Mark DeWitte of Hawkins County, chaired the meeting. Mayor Doty outlined the accomplishments of the FTDD over the past year, including $18.4 million in grants secured for the region, and nearly $23 million in ARP reimbursements for infrastructure, economic development, and community services. The District also completed $2.3 million in home construction and renovations, all the while ensuring thousands of students explored careers in the region via CareerQuest TN events, served families through STRONG Families NETN, and connected hundreds of youth to employment via WIOA programs. This doesn't include the nearly $8 million in services provided by the Area Agency on Aging & Disability to keep seniors safe, fed, and in their homes longer.
Executive Director Mike Harrison shared the District's response to Helene across the region. "I couldn't be prouder of how each member of the District's team rose to the occasion. Their hard work and selflessness during this time have been truly inspiring, and they demonstrated exactly what our organization stands for—regional progress through regional cooperation," shared Harrison. Mark Stevans, Director of Communications, Special Projects, and WIOA provided the board with details on the National Dislocated Worker Grant. This grant will enable local governments and industries impacted by the storm to rehire or hire employees for clean-up efforts. These grant funds will reimburse the salaries for staff from these projects.
The Board also elected a new slate of officers for the coming year. Mayor Doty introduced a motion to approve the recommendation of the Nomination Committee of Mayor Mark DeWitte as Chair, Mayor Cal Doty as Vice-Chair, and Mayor Larry Potter of Johnson County as Treasurer. The motion was met with approved unanimously.
During the lunch, the District honored Kay Grogg with the Susan F. Reid Valued Partner Award. Created to recognize Susan Reid's commitment and dedication to building regional partnerships, the Award is presented to someone who has championed a project or program that has transformed their community or the region. Mrs. Grogg was selected for her countless hours of volunteer service photographing CareerQuest TN events and assisting the Districting with sharing the impact of these unique career explorations events.
For more details on the District's work in 2023-2024, be sure to check out the latest Annual Report, which outlines all the programs provided by the First Tennessee Development District.
For questions related to the FTDD Annual Meeting, please contact Mark Stevans, mstevans@ftdd.org.
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