Pinnacle Financial Partners has hired Ivan Brown as a community financial adviser in Chattanooga.
Brown joins the firm with experience in commercial banking, commercial lending and Community Reinvestment Act initiatives. Most recently, he served as vice president and relationship manager at Cadence Bank, where he managed a commercial real estate loan portfolio, underwrote development and construction loans and led commercial loan underwriting efforts.
Earlier in his career, Brown worked as an economic development banker, helping coordinate affordable housing programs, residential lending initiatives and economic development projects throughout the Chattanooga area.
In his new role, Brown will work with local businesses, nonprofit organizations, developers and community leaders to expand access to banking resources.
Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Howard University and serves on the boards of several Chattanooga-area nonprofit and business organizations.
Cempa leaders complete executive program
Two members of Cempa Community Care’s leadership team have completed the nationally recognized UCLA Health Care Executive Program.
Ian Stanbery, director of facility operations, and Amy Eldridge, director of clinical administration and operations, recently graduated from the executive leadership program.
The pair are the latest members of Cempa’s leadership team to complete the program.
“The UCLA Health Care Executive Program challenged me to think differently about operational excellence in healthcare,” Stanbery says. “The program equipped me with new tools that will help us continue improving the quality of care we provide to our patients.”
Eldridge says the experience reinforced the importance of keeping patients at the center of every decision.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Cempa Community Care provides primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, dental care, infectious disease services and other specialized programs and services across Southeast Tennessee.
Chambliss adds Williams to real estate practice
Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel has added attorney Megan Williams to its real estate and construction practice, where she will serve as senior counsel.
Williams brings extensive experience in commercial real estate, advising clients nationwide on retail and shopping center leasing, property acquisitions and dispositions, development projects, title and survey review, and entitlement and encumbrance issues.
She represents national retailers, shopping center owners, developers, entrepreneurs, title companies, government entities and contractors through all stages of real estate transactions.
Before joining Chambliss, Williams practiced in both in-house and private law firm settings, advising clients on a wide range of commercial real estate matters.
Williams is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She previously served as board chair and secretary of Young Professionals of Chattanooga and remains active with the organization.
She earned her law degree from Faulkner University Thomas Goode Jones School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. Williams is licensed to practice law in Tennessee.
Pickett to lead Mocs softball
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has named Donald Pickett as the fifth head coach in the history of its softball program, bringing the longtime coach back to his alma mater and the program where he began his collegiate coaching career.
Pickett returns to Chattanooga after 15 seasons as head coach at Northwestern State, where he became the program’s all-time winningest coach with 393 victories.
He led the Demons to three Southland Conference championships, including tournament titles in 2013 and 2014 and the 2015 regular-season crown, while earning NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 and 2014.
Most recently, Pickett served as general manager of the Chattanooga Steam professional softball team and vice president of coach and player development for the Fury Platinum organization. He also owns Tristar Elite Hitting and coached the Fury Platinum X Pickett 16U team.
Pickett previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach at UTC under recently retired head coach Frank Reed, helping the Mocs win three Southern Conference regular season titles, three conference tournament championships and earn three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Before that, he assisted Reed at Chattanooga State, where the Tigers won three conference championships and three tournament titles while making three NJCAA World Series appearances.
A 2005 UTC graduate with a degree in exercise science and leisure studies, Pickett is married to former Mocs softball player Paige Cochrane Pickett. His sister, Grace Pickett, also played softball at Chattanooga.
Chattanooga Chamber names Murphy CFO
The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce has named Joshua Murphy as its new chief financial officer.
Murphy will oversee the Chamber’s financial strategy and long-term sustainability, drawing on a background in finance, accounting, human resources, strategic planning and operational improvement.
Murphy previously held leadership positions with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and the Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga, where he helped strengthen financial management and support organizational growth.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lee University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Regent University.