Three attorneys are among the 40 members of the 2016-17 class of Leadership Chattanooga: Charlie McDaniel of Legal Aid of East Tennessee; Rebecca Miller of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel; and Kyle Wilson of Miller & Martin. Over the next ten months, Leadership Chattanooga will prepare these young professionals for prominent business, cultural, and political roles through comprehensive leadership training.
Sponsored by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Chattanooga involves monthly meetings exploring aspects of leadership and the challenges facing the local community, experiential learning opportunities (including a police ride along), interactions with the community’s leadership, and service projects.
“One of the core components of the program are the small group projects that benefit our community,” said Diane Parks, director of leadership and community development for the Chamber. “It’s exciting to see how each team project impacts the lives of people in our community in different ways.”
The Leadership Chattanooga class of 2015-16 completed five projects that impacted 1,042 students in 25 Hamilton County Schools.
Charlie McDaniel
McDaniel is the director of operations for Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s nine offices across the Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Johnson City areas. He hopes his participation in Leadership Chattanooga will help him deepen his commitment to serve his community.
“Since arriving in Chattanooga in 2009, I have tried to be of service through my work with Legal Aid and our partner organizations, such as the Erlanger Health Law Partnership and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Family Justice Center,” he said. “Although I believe my work in the law is important, it’s easy to become myopic and not see the bigger picture. By working with people who have different backgrounds and vantage points, but who are equally passionate about Chattanooga, I hope to broaden my understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing our city and the surrounding area.
“Ultimately, I want to play some small role in ensuring the momentum generated in Chattanooga over the past few decades continues indefinitely into the future.”
McDaniel grew up in the mountains surrounding Asheville, Tenn., before earning his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 2009 after receiving his J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law. McDaniel is also admitted to the Federal bar for the East District of Tennessee, and is a member of the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Associations.
Rebecca Miller
Miller is a member of Chambliss Bahner’s litigation section. She focuses her practice on family law and other general civil litigation, including contested conservatorships and estate and trust litigation. Miller hopes her participants in Leadership Chattanooga will allow her to share her ideas with other community leaders, expand her professional and community network, and further develop her relationships with the members of the group she already knows.
“Some of the most prominent members of the Chattanooga community are alumni of Leadership Chattanooga, and it’s an honor to be chosen as a participant,” she said. “I want to learn about Chattanooga’s accomplishments and challenges, and how I might focus my efforts to best serve the community.”
Miller received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Oglethorpe University in 1997, and her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law 2000. She was admitted to the Georgia bar in 2000, the North Carolina bar in 2003, and the Tennessee bar in 2009. Miller is a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association.
Kyle Wilson
Wilson concentrates his practice at Miller & Martin on litigation, with an emphasis on complex commercial disputes and federal criminal defense. He moved to Chattanooga several years ago to clerk for U.S. District Judge Sandy Mattice. Before that, Wilson’s work took him and his wife around the country to both large and small cities, but when they landed in Chattanooga, he said they knew they’d found their home.
“Chattanooga is a really, truly special place, and I’m constantly impressed by the entire community’s commitment to making the city a wonderful place to live and work,” he said.
Wilson said he hopes Leadership Chattanooga connects him with the people who are already engaged in helping Chattanooga fulfill its ambitions, and believes exposure to the program will challenge him to think of new ways in which he might contribute to the city.
“I’m looking forward to Leadership Chattanooga because, in some meaningful capacity, I want to play a role in Chattanooga’s future development,” he said. “I have a 15-month old son and a daughter due soon, and I aim to do everything I can to make sure the Chattanooga they call home keeps living up to its incredible potential. I have every confidence that Leadership Chattanooga is going to help me do just that.”
Wilson is also excited about the opportunity to make friends with his classmates, which will include not only McDaniel and Miller but also over three dozen other participants from a variety of professions and organizations. “I’m grateful to be considered to be part of such an accomplished bunch,” Wilson said.
Wilson received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Tulane University in 2004, and his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Tulane University School of Law in 2007. He is admitted to the Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia Bars. Wilson is a board member of Bessie Smith Cultural Center, a graduate of the 2015 Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute Program, and a member of the Federal, American, and Chattanooga Bar Associations.
Orientation for the 2016-17 class of Leadership Chattanooga begins Aug. 18.