Authored By Savannah Bennett

A relatively new civic group has selected its leaders for a new year and is working to tell its story more broadly. Rotaract of Chattanooga, whose officers are working on a new website to inform the community about their work, recently selected its 2018-2019 board of directors to guide the organization into its sixth year. “Rotaract is a service organization that is filled with young professionals and we try to give back in different capacities to the community in Chattanooga,” Rotaract Communications Chair Tripp Stanford said. The organization started when several local young professionals wanted to be a part of the Rotary Club, which supports Chattanooga's growth, encourages the exchange of business methods and ideas, promotes fellowship and teaches happiness through service, according to its website. Local Rotaract organizers wanted to come together as like-minded residents and create an organization similar to Rotary, except with more opportunities for younger members who don't have as many years of experience. “We have such a motivated, passionate, and diverse group of people in this club, who are always looking for ways to connect others, personally and professionally, and have a common interest in professional and community development for the city of Chattanooga,” Rotaract of Chattanooga President Caroline Walker said in a prepared statement. Rotaract of Chattanooga is directly affiliated with the Downtown Chattanooga Rotary, but it's a separate organization with an independent board and budget. The average age of the downtown Rotary Club is 59, according to the group's website. Members of Rotaract, which launched in 2011 and is a Rotary-sponsored group, must be between the ages of 22-35. The group aims to provide a forum for members to better understand and promote responsible citizenship and effective leadership by interacting with the business and government community, networking and addressing community service needs. “I was really intrigued by the level of service that Rotaract does,” Stanford said. “It gave me the opportunity to really give back to my community where I hadn’t found that opportunity before.” The organization has partnered with Lookout Mountain Conservancy—which includes a Howard High School internship program—for monthly service projects. Rotaract members accompany interns on the mountain and clean trails. They also help them with ACT prep courses, as well as show them workplaces to give them career ideas. To be selected, participants must go through an application process and then the board reviews the application. An annual membership costs $300, which helps provide resources for Howard High School interns and goes toward some of the monthly luncheons. “We want to provide opportunities for our members to network, develop, engage with the community, have exposure to influential leaders in the community and empower each other to help make a difference and serve Chattanooga, serve ourselves and the community,” Walker said. The organization, which includes about 40 members, is continuing to work on upcoming events and philanthropic work. “We want to help, we want to serve, and we’d love to get in front of as many people in Chattanooga as possible to help grow our mission and our membership,” she said. To learn more about Rotaract of Chattanooga and any upcoming events with the organization, visit its Facebook page. The following community leaders were chosen for the 2018-2019 board of directors:

Caroline Walker- President- VP of Commercial Banking at BB&T
Joey Greer- Vice President- Business Sales Executive, EPB Fiber Optics
Honor Hostetler- Past-President - Assistant Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement at McCallie School
Betsy Kramer- Secretary- Portfolio Administrator at Patten and Patten, Inc.
Chris Sislo- Treasurer -Wealth Manager at HHM Wealth Advisors, LLC.
Joel DeFoor- Service Chair- Healthcare Lending Portfolio Manager, Millennium Bank
Andrew Anderson- Senior Credit Officer, SBA Division, Synovous
Tripp Stanford- Communications Chair- Digital Marketing Director at Papercut Interactive
Elizabeth Hammitt- Programs Chair- Director of Environmental Stewardship & Community at EPB
Zach Hurst- Asst. Programs Chair- Relationship Manager, The Trust Company
Matt Wayne- Social Chair- Attorney At Law at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.
Spencer Klein- Asst. Social Chair- Associate Project Manager at Tennessee Valley Authority
Dhonielle Toussaint- Membership Chair- Accountant at Baylor School
Amy Donahue- Asst. Membership Chair- Director of Marketing and Communications at River City Company

Updated at 12:02 p.m. Sept. 11 to correct a title.