MTAS Mustard for week ended 4-19-19

 


Happy Earth Day MTAS,

While I normally start off the Mustard with a week in review, I received some news today that I need to share first. John Grubbs has submitted his resignation to me, effective June 7, 2019. John is leaving us for an opportunity he just couldn’t let slip past him. He joined MTAS on February 2, 2015. Please join me in wishing John all the best in his next adventures. “It’s been a lovely cruise” John!

As for things going on last week, we had a few celebrations to which to call attention: Ralph and Sherri had birthdays on the 14^th and 18^th, respectively, and Brett had a work anniversary on the 15^th. Congratulations on another year, and may the upcoming year be the best one yet for you.

Also last week I attended two events that made me hopeful for the future. The first was the end of internship presentations by two graduate school interns. One worked for the city of Maryville and the other with the town of Unicoi. The ladies were smart, polished, and professional in their presentations. They learned a lot from their experiences and are eager to begin their public service careers. It was so refreshing! The other event was the 2019 public service award ceremony at TN State University, hosted by their ICMA student chapter. I am grateful to work with Dr. Campbell there and to collaborate on efforts where we can. The chapter recognized Tim Ellis, city manager of Goodlettsville, as the Local Government Administrator of the Year. Also recognized was a Nonprofit Administrator of the Year, two outstanding alumni, and the inductees into the honor society of Pi Alpha Alpha. The keynote speaker for the event was Kevin Townsel, the human resources director for the city of Franklin. So, not only were the exceptional students honored for their hard work, but successful alumni were celebrated for their accomplishments. It was a perfect blending of past, present and future; and it was inspirational to me.

If you are interested in being inspirational to someone else and having an impact on the future of a college-bound high school student, I encourage you to sign up as a mentor for tnAchieves (part of the TN Promise program sponsored by the state). Here is a link to more information: https://tnachieves.org/mentors/. Students are our future, so how can we not support and encourage them? There are also job shadowing opportunities too – let’s get the youth interested in local government. You’ll be one of about 9,000 mentors across the state, but you’ll be “number one” to the student you help succeed.

I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed the three day weekend. If you are a countdown kind of person, then you’ll like knowing that our next holiday, Memorial Day, is a mere five weeks away.

I hope you have a fabulous week ahead of you; and that you realize the positive impact you have on others.
Margaret