Two University of Tennessee-Chattanooga graduates who also have studied internationally have joined the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer staff.
Julia Sharp is the foundation’s new regional development coordinator while Trent Whicker is an executive fellow.
Ms. Sharp, a Nashville native now living in Chattanooga, is a 2014 UT-Chattanooga graduate, earning a B.A. in English. She also studied journalism at the University of Chester in Chester, England and world media/theatre studies at King’s College London.
Mr. Whicker also graduated from UT-Chattanooga in 2014, with a master’s in business administration; previously he earned a B.S. in business administration from Mälardalen University in Västerås, Sweden.
Ms. Sharp will work closely with Austin Hatcher Foundation President Amy Jo Osborn, with considerable focus on special events involving the foundation.
Mr. Whicker will have a multi-dimensional role focusing on a variety of projects, in conjunction with Amy Jo Osborn, Foundation Chairman Jim Osborn and Executive Director Dale Hetzler. Mr. Whicker, from Knoxville, previously worked at Causeway, a non-profit social innovation studio in Chattanooga, where he served as a consultant and executive fellow. Causeway provides support of people-centered community initiatives through education, coaching, funding and project management.
Both new employees have a personal link to cancer, strengthening their commitment to join the foundation’s fight to erase the effects of pediatric cancer, while optimizing young patients’ quality of life through essential specialized programs that start with diagnosis and continue through survivorship.
Ms. Sharp lost her grandfather to cancer. “I have seen what cancer does to a family,” she said.
Mr. Whicker is himself a pediatric cancer survivor and has special appreciation for the foundation’s programs and services that benefit both patients and their family members. “It’s so advanced now and it’s really amazing,” he said.
“We have added two bright new stars to our staff and we could not be more proud,” said Ms. Osborn. “Obviously, their links to the Chattanooga community make their additions even more special. As we continue to expand our organization, Julia and Trent will be playing major roles.”