La Paz Chattanooga announced the appointment of a new chairman for their board of directors. Current board member Dr. Kelly Rodney Arnold has been named chairman of the board, replacing retired Chief of Police and current board chair Fred Fletcher. She will assume board chair duties through the end of Fletcher's term.
Dr. Rodney Arnold is the founder and director of Clínica Médicos and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and OB/GYN at UT College of Medicine Chattanooga and has extensive experience working within the Latino community.
La Paz Chattanooga is the leading Hispanic/Latino organization in the southeast Tennessee that guides, connects and strengthens the community.
Since its inception in 2004, La Paz has worked to build tolerance, opportunity, and mutual understanding in order to create an inclusive environment in which cultural acceptance can thrive.
"The greatest asset of La Paz Chattanooga is the quality of our staff and the supportive group of community advocates with whom we surround ourselves," said Stacy Johnson, La Paz Chattanooga's executive director. "And a big part of our support comes from the amazing members of our board of directors, including Dr. Rodney Arnold."
Fred Fletcher expressed his excitement for the new leadership of La Paz's board. “I want to thank Dr. Arnold for agreeing to chair the board of directors at La Paz after my move to Colorado," he said. "Working with La Paz to serve our most vulnerable neighbors has been a true joy and one of the highlights of my career. I look forward to supporting and working with Kelly in whatever manner I can. Her leadership and guidance is needed now more than ever as Chattanooga continues to see a rise in the Latino population."
Chief Fred Fletcher left Chattanooga in July of 2017 and has led the organization from Colorado since his departure. He will remain on the board of directors.
The La Paz board of directors is made up of nine individuals committed to empowering and engaging Chattanooga’s Latino community. In addition to Dr. Rodney Arnold and Mr. Fletcher, the remaining members of the board include Abigail Tilley, Carlos Calderin, Brittany Thomas Faith, Jana Eichel, Richard Mathis, Marco Perez, and Angela Garcia.
La Paz Chattanooga has a goal to recruit additional members to the board as part of an effort to diversify it's membership and strengthen future support. They will hold a private information meeting on
Nov. 10, for prospective board members. If you are interested in an opportunity to serve on the La Paz Board, please contact them at
info@lapazchattanooga.org.