CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (June 22, 2026) – Fifteen senior leaders from business, finance, higher education, government, and the nonprofit sector have been selected for induction into the inaugural PDI Leaders Academy and to represent the region at the Academy’s executive convening at Vanderbilt University, June 23-26, 2026.
The Academy is led by Global Action Platform (GAP) in partnership with the Porter Development Initiative (PDI) and is part of the statewide Tennessee Leaders Action Platform (TLAP), a network of 120 senior leaders organized into eight regional economic Steering Committees.
Mayor Tim Kelly, Chair of the Southeast Tennessee Steering Committee, and Dr. Scott T. Massey, Chairman and CEO of Global Action Platform, announced the regional delegation today.
The leaders inducted from the Chattanooga region are:
- Danna Bailey, Strategic Planning and Communications for the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative
- Carl Campbell, Executive Director of the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority
- Kirsten Ert Acuff, City Manager of Lakesite
- Lakweshia Ewing, Founder of Unlearn Everything and Live
- Kelly Fitzgerald, Vice President of Commercial Brokerage for Second Story Real Estate Management
- Martin Granum, City Manager of Red Bank
- Elizabeth Hammitt, Director of Stewardship & Energy Programs for EPB
- David Johnson, Administrator of Chattanooga’s Department of Parks & Outdoors
- Tasia Malakasis, CEO of CO.LAB
- Shannon Millsaps, Chief Operating Officer of THRIVE Regional Partnership
- Lisa Moore, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Services for PlayCore
- Janet Rehberg, CEO-Elect for EPB
- Dr. Chandra Ward, UTC Foundation Associate Professor of Sociology
- Scott Wilson, Chief of Staff for the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority
- Kumar Yelamarthi, Dean of the UTC School of Engineering and Computer Science
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A Selective Statewide Leadership Initiative
Membership in the Academy is highly selective. Regional Steering Committees and the Tennessee University Presidents Council nominate leaders based on their capacity for impact, commitment to collaboration, ethical integrity, and role in advancing economic opportunity and community well-being.
Beginning this year, approximately 135 leaders from eight regional economic zones across Tennessee and neighboring counties in adjoining states will be inducted into the Academy and invited to the executive session.
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Data-Driven Leadership for Regional Impact
The Academy is designed to strengthen regional competitiveness and shared prosperity by equipping leaders to work as a regional delegation to address complex economic and social challenges. Drawing on the renowned work of Michael Porter and other leading research, the Academy deploys a proprietary curriculum incorporating Harvard Business School case studies, a Competitiveness Scorecard and customized cluster economic data and social metrics from the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, available only to Academy members.
Members of the Academy will address the increasing and unsustainable divergence in prosperity in the U.S. and our region. Working- and middle-class citizens struggle, while corporations and individuals who can access global opportunities are thriving. Prosperity and opportunity are generated but not shared as broadly as needed, especially in rural areas.
At the June executive session, delegates will work with their regional peers to develop a pragmatic and sustainable action initiative focused on a priority opportunity for their region. These projects will be documented and shared statewide to support ongoing collaboration and implementation.
“The Academy and Tennessee Leaders Action Platform are building a network of leaders committed to strengthening the long-term competitiveness and opportunity of their regions,” said Dr. Massey, Chairman and CEO, Global Action Platform. “We are honored to work with the Southeast Tennessee Steering Committee, the Porter Development Initiative, and the Tennessee University Presidents Council to support this important effort.”
“Economic development does not conform to municipal boundaries,” Kelly said. “The most successful cities cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with their regional neighbors. We appreciate this opportunity for our region’s participants to learn scalable solutions for economic growth, workforce development and our continued shared prosperity, with a proven approach using comparative data and studying best practices.”
About Global Action Platform
Global Action Platform (GAP) is an international university-business alliance that advances scalable solutions for economic growth, workforce development, and shared prosperity. TLAP and the PDI Leaders Academy are programs of GAP, presented in collaboration with the Porter Development Initiative founded by Professor Michael Porter and building upon and expanding his research and work at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Harvard Business School. GAP also leads a health equity program in Virginia with the Virginia Department of Health and is applying microeconomic strategies to develop a sustainable market economy for Indigenous communities in the Philippines.
About the Porter Development Initiative
The Porter Development Initiative (PDI) stands at the forefront of economic strategy and social development consulting. PDI harnesses the frameworks pioneered by Professor Michael Porter and the team at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, translating them into practical strategies that foster competitiveness at the national, regional, and organizational levels.
For nearly two decades, PDI has advised governments, companies, and international organizations around the world, applying pioneering frameworks on cluster-based growth, competitive strategy, and public–private collaboration to deliver measurable results.
