Patsy Hazlewood, Southeast Tennessee’s Rrgional director for Economic and Community Development, will be the featured speaker at the Chattanooga Technology Council’s Lunch & Learn Series on Wednesday, May 16.
The luncheon takes place at 11:30 a.
m. at the EPB Offices,
10 West M.L. King Boulevard
, 7
th Floor Conference Room. It is free for CTC members, $20 for non-members. To register, go to
www.chattanoogatechnologycouncil.org/events/ or call 826-8700.
Speaking on High-Quality Jobs: Making Tennessee No. 1 in the Southeast, Ms. Hazlewood will update participants on regional efforts to implement the Governor’s Jobs4TN Plan. In July 2011, Governor Bill Haslam named Ms. Hazlewood to one of nine top economic development posts. As Regional Director, she is the primary point-of-contact for Southeast Tennessee companies seeking state assistance with expansion or access to services.
This newly-created position is part of the Governor’s Jobs4TN plan, introduced in April of last year. The plan focuses the efforts of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) on strategic business clusters where the state has a competitive advantage; helping existing businesses to grow and expand; and adding resources and senior leadership to accomplish the long-standing goal of recruiting new businesses and jobs to Tennessee. A key foundation of Jobs4TN is the decentralization of ECD into nine regions to better coordinate state, regional and local resources.
The Southeast Tennessee Region, of which Ms. Hazlewood oversees, encompasses more than 617,000 residents, living in 10 counties (Hamilton, Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie).
In her role, she leads new efforts and initiatives in the region, supports existing local economic development organizations, and serves as an effective conduit between the state and regional and local stakeholders. She also engages strategic partnerships that increase tech transfer from research institutions; support innovation at regional business accelerators; generate early state capital investment to support entrepreneurs; and expand workforce development efforts.
Prior to this position, Ms. Hazlewood spent over 30 years in the telecommunications industry, first with BellSouth and later AT&T, where she was assistant vice president for legislative and external affairs for Southeastern Tennessee. She is an organizer/director of CapitalMark Bank and Trust and a former board chair of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, where she still serves on the board. Her other boards include: The Enterprise Center, United Way, the Stadium Corporation, Speech and Hearing Center (vice chair), and Community Foundation (chair elect). In 2009, she was the first woman to be elected president of the Chattanooga Rotary Club in the organization’s 96-year history. Recently, she was named the 2012 Tennessee Woman of Distinction by the American Lung Association in Tennessee.
The CTC Lunch & Learn Series is presented by the Chattanooga Technology Council, an alliance of corporations, professional firms, academic institutions and individuals that are cultivating talent and fostering innovation in the region’s knowledge economy. To become a member or sponsor, go to www.chattanoogatechnologycouncil.org.