Happy December MTAS,

December, it is really December. I remember when the summer seemed to last forever… Now the summer comes and goes before I know it. I hardly even remember there being a fall this year, but I attribute that mostly to the quick arrival of colder weather and my favorite football team not doing as well as I had hoped.

Fortunately, I remember last week and am glad to give you an update on the happenings.

The MTAS Leadership Team met last week via Zoom and is continuing work on the 2019 strategic plan. This should be ready for a roll out very soon.

Also last week in Knoxville, The Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership held the Local Government Leadership Program. There were 23 total attendees, and 12 of them were from cities. They learned about ethics, applying Lean practices to the public sector, themselves (through use of the CP! 260 assessment), and the state’s economy. Dr. Matt Murray from UTK talked about the economy and thankfully the picture he painted was not doom and gloom. He anticipates another downturn, but not for a couple of years. This is cyclical and nothing to be alarmed about. He will be publishing the annual report to the governor on the state’s economic outlook later this month. If you’re into numbers, trends, and statistics, then you might keep an eye out for the report. And yes, the health of the state’s economy has a direct impact on us here.

Last week one of our colleagues celebrated a work anniversary. Congratulations to Sharon for hitting another milestone on the 26 ^th . John Grubbs also hit a milestone, this one personal, on the 29 ^th – Happy Birthday John.

On a personal note, last weekend I went to the movies. I saw Green Book starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. Here is the online description from IMDb: “A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.” The movie is based on a true story, so perhaps that is what made it even more compelling to me. My calculator of whether a movie is “good” or not is if I still think about it the next day. I’ve been thinking about this movie for days now. So, if you are looking for a two hour escape this weekend, I recommend the film.

I hope you have a terrific rest of the week!

Sincerely,
Margaret