Local 3 WRCB is reshuffling its weekday anchor lineup with several familiar faces moving into new roles beginning Monday, Aug. 17.
Sports Director Ben Bobick and reporter Sierra Rucker will become anchors of “Local 3 Today,” joining meteorologist Clay Smith for the weekday broadcast 4:30-7 a.m. Bobick, who has spent nearly a decade covering sports across the Tennessee Valley, will continue his Friday Morning Football and Horsing Around features.
Current morning anchor Michelle Heron will move to “Local 3 News at Noon” and expand her work as an investigative reporter. Heron has been with the station since 2014 and has received multiple Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for hard news reporting.
LaTrice Currie will move from the noon newscast to co-anchor “Local 3 News at 4” with David Carroll. She will continue anchoring the 5:30 p.m. newscast with Greg Glover and producing her weekly Eye on Health reports.
Cindy Sexton, who recently marked 41 years with Local 3, will continue anchoring the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Local 3 News Director Perry Pace said the changes came after viewer feedback and an evaluation of how the station could best use its newsroom staff.
CNE names Hardaway interim CEO during search
Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprises has named longtime community advocate and former board chair Andrea Hardaway as interim CEO as the Chattanooga organization begins its search for a permanent leader.
Hardaway succeeds CEO Chris Thompson, who’s leaving CNE to care for family in his home state of Missouri. She previously spent six years on CNE’s board, including serving as its chair.
Hardaway is president and founding partner of First Property Management, which provides residential and association management services. She also serves on the executive committee of the Chattanooga Design Studio and on the Community Foundation’s real estate and accelerator loan fund committees.
“Working in real estate services has shown me that stable housing is the foundation of strong communities,” Hardaway says. “Serving CNE in this capacity is a natural extension of that commitment, and I’m honored to help lead the organization through this transition.”
CNE also announced that board Vice Chair Adam Kinsey will join its leadership team in an advisory capacity, working with developers and funders and providing organizational expertise. Kinsey is president and founder of The Kinsey Company and has been involved in more than $700 million in development projects in downtown Chattanooga since 2001.
CNE has served the Chattanooga community for 40 years.
UTC hires Ammons for economics faculty
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has named Joshua D. Ammons assistant professor of practice in economics with the Scott L. Probasco Jr. Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise.
Ammons joins UTC from Wabash College, where he served as scholar-in-residence and earned his doctorate in economics from George Mason University.
His research examines how institutions emerge following political and social change, focusing on the conditions that foster lasting, inclusive economic systems.
In his new role, he will support the Probasco Chair through teaching, research and public engagement.
Roberts to lead aquarium business development
The Tennessee Aquarium has named Meredith Roberts as its new senior director of business development, a newly created leadership role aimed at expanding revenue streams.
Roberts brings nearly 20 years of experience at the Aquarium, where she has held roles in sales, marketing, hospitality, fundraising and strategic advancement since joining the organization in 2007.
Aquarium President and CEO Andy Wood said the position will help support ambitious plans to expand conservation initiatives, enhance the guest experience and grow educational programming.
A Berry College graduate, Roberts earned her MBA in marketing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga while working at the aquarium.
Chambliss adds three Chattanooga attorneys
Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel has added attorneys Michael Holmes, Stephen Muhonen and Jake Spindler to its Chattanooga-based law firm, expanding its capabilities in areas including business, construction, estate planning, litigation and risk management, and real estate.
Holmes advises clients in commercial and business litigation and has experience in bankruptcy, insurance defense, construction disputes and other civil litigation matters. A graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, he’s licensed to practice in Tennessee and Georgia.
Muhonen focuses on commercial and business litigation, including contract disputes, property damage and construction-related matters. He earned his law degree with honors from the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law and his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from UTC. He’s licensed to practice in Tennessee.
Spindler advises individuals, families and business owners on estate planning, probate, estate and trust administration, business succession planning and related matters. He earned his law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law and is licensed in Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. His Tennessee admission is pending.
Mayors name Smith regional planning chair
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly have jointly appointed Hamilton County School Board chair Joe Smith to lead the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission.
Smith succeeds Ethan Collier, whose term as chairman expired May 31. He received state approval July 29 to serve a four-year term on the commission and will assume the chairmanship at its Sept. 14 meeting. Chris Anderson will serve as interim chairman until then.
Smith will complete his term as Hamilton County School Board chairman Aug. 31. He has served three consecutive terms as chairman of the board.