Written By Publisher Bailey Hufstetler
TN Achieves, a non-profit organization dedicated to “changing lives, transforming communities,” recently inducted members into their Hall of Fame to help highlight and show appreciation to mentors who help students transition from high school to college. One of those programs that most people are probably familiar with is the Tennessee Promise Program, a 2 years free college opportunity to qualifying students who want to take advantage of the opportunity through the TN Achieves Organization.
Apart of that program are individuals known as mentors, who will be assigned students who are going to be using the TN Achieves and TN promise program. These mentors will spend time mentoring, guiding, and helping students through the college entry process. These mentors are made up of business leaders, community developers, and kind hearted individuals that take time to volunteer and help mold and shape these students.
Dennis Tumlin, former Rhea Economic Tourism Council Executive Director and current Chief Customer Officer with the Tennessee Department of Tourism, has been inducted into the TN Achieves Hall of Fame.
Tumlin is being recognized for his 9 year commitment to volunteering with the TN Achieves Program as a mentor. As a mentor he has helped shape many students lives by just being willing to serve and make an impact on their lives and helping them stay motivated to get the degree that they are working so hard towards.
“I am honored to have been nominated and included in the Class of 2024 TN Achieves Mentor Hall of Fame”, Tumlin stated.
In a press release from the TN Achieves organization, it states, “The Mentor Hall of Fame includes volunteers who have gone above and beyond consistently in the interest of supporting students to make a lasting impact on the program and in their communities. This group has consistently answered the call to serve students and ensure that a clear path exists in communities across Tennessee from high school to college and ultimately, a gainful career.”
18 individuals were inducted into this hall of fame.
“tnAchieves better serves both students and communities because of our volunteer mentors,” said tnAchieves President and CEO Krissy DeAlejandro. “These 18 Hall of Fame inductees represent a foundational component of ensuring all students have a successful pathway from high school through college into a meaningful career. We continue to be so thankful for those who continue to support, encourage and lead. It’s true – mentors matter.”
Other notable inductees into this hall of fame are individuals such as Dr. Jim Barrott, former Executive Vice President, TN College of Applied Technology, Rebecca Ashford, current Chattanooga State President, and Randy Boyd, current University of Tennessee President and former candidate for Governor of TN.
“Serving as a mentor for the TN Achieves program has been one of the most rewarding experiences,” Tumlin stated. “As a mentor, we are connected with students to help them navigate the transition from high school to college. Many of these students are first generation college attendees and have a limited support network around them.”
Temlin has been a volunteer mentor for 9 years for the Rhea County school students and has no indication of stopping anytime soon.
“Ultimately, I volunteer because I too had mentors that helped me stay on track to complete my 4 year degree,” Tumlin stated. “Higher education has opened opportunities that I could have otherwise only dreamed of.”
Dennis is a native of Rhea County and a graduate of Rhea County High School where he was a member of the Golden Eagles’ football team, under legendary Coach Bill Horton and also a member of the wrestling team.
After graduating the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Dennis had a long successful career with the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, where he managed sales & marketing in many National Accounts and Prestige Properties in the US market, such as Dollywood and the University of Tennessee.
In 2013, Dennis felt the calling to public service when was recruited back home to serve his native county. From 2013-2019, Dennis served as the Executive Director of the Rhea County Economic & Tourism Council, Inc., a private non-profit 501 C3 agency in Dayton. He led the council’s economic development and tourism recruitment efforts for Rhea County and utilized his business skills, which were sharpened in corporate America. His vision to create the 330 acre Rail Hub South industrial development paved the way for the Nokian Tyres manufacturing plant that selected Dayton in May 2017. The Finnish based company has now invested more than $360 Million in Rhea County and has created almost 400 quality jobs in the first phase, which opened October 2019. The Nokian Tyre’s facility is the largest foreign direct investment in Rhea County history and was Tennessee’s largest economic development announcement in any rural county under Governor Bill Haslam administration. Dennis’ regional approach to recruitment, team building and passion for Rhea County proved to be the winning edge in this nationwide site search.
Dennis and his team were also instrumental to the re-opening, of the previously shuttered; J.M Huber engineered woods plant in Spring City in 2016.
Dennis served on Governor Bill Haslam’s Rural Task force for economic development in rural Tennessee and Governor Haslam’s Project H20 board focusing on a long term plan for water stewardship in TN.
Dennis is a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
Dennis presently serves in the Executive Branch of Tennessee’s state government as the Chief Customer Officer for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, with his office based in Nashville. In this role, he focuses on community and partner relationships in all 95 counties statewide and leads economic development special projects.
He has been married to his wife Angela, also a Rhea County native, for 25 years and has three beautiful daughters.
This article was written by our Publisher Bailey Hufstetler. You can reach him for comment at publisher@rheacountyobserver.com.
