New officers, left to right, are Shirley Lawrence, Vicki Rozema, Laura Bryan Spann, Debbie Moore, Doris Trevino, Joy Montgomery, and Cleta Townsend. Not pictured are Erin Medley and Greydon Swisher.
The Tennessee Trail of Tears Association met in Cleveland to elect officers for the next two years. Officials said the organization is dedicated to preserving, protecting and identifying sites on the more than 5,000 miles of trail located in nine states. Tennessee presently has 14 certified sites and four interpretive sites identified by the National Park Service.
The newly elected officers are President Debbie Moore (Cleveland), Vice President Laura Bryan Spann (White Bluff), Secretary Joy Montgomery, (Dayton), and Treasurer Erin Medley, (Chattanooga). Elected as state directors were Shirley Lawrence (Decatur), Doris Trevino (Sewanee) and Greydon Swisher (Cordova). Cleta Townsend (Chattanooga) and Vicki Rozema (Harrison) were elected as national directors.
The Tennessee Trail of Tears Association meets quarterly to provide educational programs to members and visitors. The next membership meeting will be held on June 24 at 2 p.m. at the Charles Hall Museum in Tellico Plains. The meeting is free and open to the public. Follow the activities of the Tennessee Trail of Tears Association on Facebook at TN Trail of Tears Association. Membership is open to anyone interested in the history of the Trail of Tears.