SmartBank has hired Fabiola Ortiz as vice president, regional branch administrator in Chattanooga. Ortiz will join the bank’s branch administration team and oversee SmartBank locations in Chattanooga, Cleveland, Tullahoma and Murfreesboro.
Prior to joining SmartBank, Ortiz worked for the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union as both a regional operations director and branch manager in Chattanooga.
Ortiz graduated from Bethel University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management and is pursuing her MBA in organizational behavior.
She is a member of the Leadership Chattanooga Class of 2020, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area board of directors, and previously received the Latino Leadership Award.
Ortiz has volunteered with La Paz Chattanooga, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, 100 Black Men of Bradley County, Cleveland Middle School and Bradley Central High School.
Leadership Tennessee picks four from Chattanooga
Leadership Tennessee has selected 38 individuals from rural and urban communities across Tennessee to participate in Class VIII, including five persons from the Chattanooga area.
KeeKee Mathis, supplier diversity manager with Volkswagen Group of America (not pictured), David Roddy, chief of the Chattanooga Police Department, Marie Webb, senior vice president of human resources at EPB, Andrea Willis, senior vice president and chief medical officer of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, and Sen. Bo Watson will spend the next year engaging in nonpartisan dialogue on issues of statewide importance.
Each year, Leadership Tennessee chooses a new class of members who represent each geographic region of the state as well as a variety of professional industries. The goal is to bring together leaders with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to ensure members can learn from each other, build new relationships and foster productive discourse.
To accommodate travel and group size restrictions across the state, Leadership Tennessee Class VIII will convene in January and complete the program with an accelerated but comprehensive schedule.
Harris appointed to Tennessee Board of Nursing
Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Martina Harris, Chattanooga State’s assistant dean of nursing and Allied Health and Registered Nursing Program director, to the Tennessee Board of Nursing. As one of 11 board members, Harris will serve a four-year term and represent Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District.
Harris brings more than 27 years of varied nursing experience to the board, including 16 years in higher education. She has been with Chattanooga State since 2013.
Board member responsibilities focus on licensure, education and practice. The board grants licenses to licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and advanced practice nurses who meet the requirements of the statutes and rules.
In 2018, Tennessee reported over 147,000 actively licensed nurses.
Austin Hatcher adds Bowling as coordinator
Payton Bowling has joined the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer as the organization’s new front desk coordinator. Bowling is a 2009 graduate of The University of Alabama and has a history of working in customer care and administrative roles. She is responsible for welcoming and greeting guests, supporting clinical and administrative functions, including scheduling appointments for the foundation’s offices in Chattanooga, Dalton and Knoxville, and updating patient charts.