Protégé Chattanooga, a team-based mentor program for emerging leaders, is currently accepting applications for its 2014-2015 class. A collaboration between the Young Professionals Association of Chattanooga (YPAC) and the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Protégé Chattanooga is the first program of its kind in Chattanooga.
Vice President of Public Strategies at the Chattanooga Chamber, Rob Bradham, said, “Protégé Chattanooga has been a highly successful partnership between YPAC and the Chattanooga Chamber.” Mr. Bradham added, “We’re preparing to graduate our second class and continue to get overwhelmingly positive feedback from both the protégés and the mentors.”
The program will be held within a nine-month period beginning with an orientation in August. At the conclusion of the program, class members will graduate alongside the Chattanooga Chamber’s Leadership Chattanooga class at the Community Leadership Luncheon, which will take place on May 16 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
YPAC President Josh Davis said, “One of the most important things YPAC can do for the young professionals of our city is to connect them to current business and civic leaders. The opportunity to sit down for intentional mentoring time with eight leaders of this caliber over the course of eight months is pretty amazing.”
Protégé Chattanooga candidates should hold active YPAC memberships and can apply online at www.ypchattanooga.org until Friday, May 16, 2014. Mentors for the 2014-15 class are currently being finalized and will be announced in the coming months.
Previous mentors for Protégé Chattanooga include:
• Ted Alling, co-founder of Access America Transport and CEO of Lamp Post Group
• Julie Baumgardner, president and executive director of First Things First
• Stephen Culp, co-founder and CEO of Delegator and PriceWater, founder and chairman of Smart Furniture, and general partner of Chattanooga Renaissance Fund
• Rose Decosimo, assurance principal at Decosimo
• Harold DePriest, president and CEO of EPB
• Tom Griscom, former executive editor of Chattanooga Times Free Press and former White House communications director
• Ladell McCullough, partner of Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC
• Bernie Miller, pastor of New Covenant Fellowship Church
• Kim White, president and CEO of River City Company
For more information, please contact YPAC at media@ypchattanooga.org.