The Chattanooga State Foundation added Julie Cook Davis, Leslie Gower, Marcus Jones and Tiffanie Robinson to its 16-member board of directors that also includes Dr. Edna Varner, Rowena Belcher, Stephanie Crowe, Joe Ferguson, C. Duffy Franck, Jr., John F. Germ, Wade Hinton, Larry Parks, Dr. Maricela Rodriguez, Keith Sanford, Britt Tabor and Tom White.
Ms. Davis is a partner for the Round Table Advisors of Raymond James and senior financial advisor, RJFS, serving as the team’s insurance specialist. She possesses over 32 years of experience in the industry working with each facet of wealth management, including life and long-term care insurance. Ms. Davis is the immediate past president of the Chattanooga State Alumni Association board of directors. In addition to being a Chattanooga State alum, her mother and daughter are also Chattanooga State alums. Ms. Davis currently serves as assistant vice-chair on the board of directors for the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute, where she has been an active member for six years and has served in many leadership roles, including Membership Committee chair, Finance Committee chair, treasurer, and most recently IMPACT Event 2021 co-chair.
Ms. Gower is the CEO of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of East Tennessee. She started her career as a public relations director with an association in Detroit. For many years she worked for association management firms representing a variety of industries. Then for 17 years she worked with an economic development agency focused on rebuilding downtown Memphis. "When the opportunity to run AGC of East Tennessee came along, it represented a special blend of her experience with association work and with the people building our communities," officials said. Ms. Gower serves as STEM Council chair for one of four Hamilton County Future Ready Institute’s industry career clusters. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga.
Mr. Jones owns and leads Magnolia Developments, LLC Commercial and Residential Construction Division. He brings more than 15 years of experience, including management of industrial projects and luxury residential sectors. He previously worked in the utility industry for TVA in Chattanooga, TN and AREVA in Charlotte, NC. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and is a certified project manager professional, member of the Sigma Pi Phi (Boule) and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He volunteers for the local Habitat for Humanity, joining their board in 2017, and most recently served as the board chair through June 2022. He is an alum of the Chamber’s Leadership Chattanooga program.
Ms. Robinson serves as the president/CEO of Lamp Post Properties and the chief executive and principal broker for SVN | Second Story Real Estate Management, an off shoot of Lamp Post Properties. She is also the elected District 4 Hamilton County School Board member and co-founder of The Jump Fund. The first in her family to go to college, she is an alum of Lee University, where she earned a theater scholarship and graduated with a degree in communications.
“We are grateful to have four new dynamic leaders joining a stellar group of dedicated board members,” stated Nancy Patterson, vice president, College Advancement & Public Relations. “Our Chattanooga State Foundation board of directors help ensure that we foster a loyal philanthropic community in support of the mission of the college.”